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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272038">There You Go, Saving Me From Out of This Cold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/1TheArtOfLosing1/pseuds/1TheArtOfLosing1'>1TheArtOfLosing1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>All these TW’s are mentioned briefly and it’s actually just a really fluffy story, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Divorce, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Forced Prostitution, Hilda has an unhealthy obsession with coffee puns, Human AU, It’s just Madam Spellman actually, Lilith and Zelda are very soft for each other, Lucifer and Faustus are the bad guys in this story, Mention of Domestic Violence, Mutual Pining, Possible Trigger Warnings:, There is a little bit of Zarie if you squint, There is also a lil’ bit of mommy Zelda bc we need more of that, These tag make it all sound really bad but it’s not, alternative universe, coffee shop AU, mention of abusive relationships, there is some angst though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:08:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/1TheArtOfLosing1/pseuds/1TheArtOfLosing1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Without thinking, Lilith smirked up at the barista and purred: “Thanks a latte.”</p><p>Immediately, the woman’s eyes narrowed and she lowered her voice, “If you think I won’t kick you out of here just because you used a pun, you’re wrong.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Faustus Blackwood/Zelda Spellman (past), The Dark Lord | Satan/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith (Past), Zelda Spellman &amp; Hilda Spellman, Zelda Spellman/Mambo Marie LaFleur, Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>162</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello there! Thanks for reading my fanfiction :)<br/>This was actually supposed to be a one shot, but I got a little too excited. Oops. It's going to be 3 or 4 chapters long (I haven't decided yet) and I am going to update every Wednesday around 6 p.m. Belgian time. </p><p>IMPORTANT: I changed the name Lucifer into Luc and Judas into James. (Judas and Leticia aren't in this chapter but they are in the next) And let's pretend Zelda and Lilith are maybe 45 years old.</p><p>Title from Fire on Fire by Sam Smith</p><p>Enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Running from her ex was becoming harder with every passing day.</p><p>Buying a new airplane ticket every few weeks and paying for a way too expensive hotel room was starting to add up, but that wasn’t the problem. Lilith had nicked enough of his money to be able to continue living like this for years. Money he had made by exploiting her, if she might add. She had worked her arse off for more than two decades, it was only fair that she finally claimed what was hers. Her life hadn’t been hers since they met, and for the first time in all those years, she was able to take control again. At last, she was allowed to decide what she wanted, when she wanted it and how she wanted it. She was master of her life, not her ex or his mates.</p><p>Loneliness wasn’t the problem either. In fact, she was happy to be on her own. She had already spent too much time being around people she didn’t like and who didn’t like her either. Around people who could not care less about her wellbeing and merely saw her as an object or a tool, and not a person. Some might think she was afraid of her ex finding her someday and doing horrible things to her, but not even that was one of her concerns. She had grown thick skin during their time together. The last years she had been with him, his fists against her body had started hurting less. The cruel words he threw at her, had no longer bothered her as much as they used to and the bruises he always left behind on her skin, simply seemed to be a part of her. She wasn’t sure if she had stopped to care or if she had just grown used to all of it.</p><p>Apart from losing her freedom, Luc did not scare her. Not anymore. Not after all those years of misery he put her through.</p><p>The only thing that bothered her about this kind of life, was constantly moving from one place to another. Never being able to settle down in one spot was beginning to annoy her. Every time she found a city she liked and made a friend here and there, she had to leave. Time and time again, she lost everything she had grown even slightly fond of. And in a way, it was exhausting. Having to start over every time she came into a new city was difficult. She was just tired of it.</p><p>When she was little, she had dreamt of exploring the world on her own. She had always been curious about the world. Actually about everything, but foreign countries and places sounded more interesting than anything else. Lilith had yearned to know more than what was around her, wanted to explore and to live her life to the fullest. She wanted to see new things, learn about different cultures and to meet new people.</p><p>She had wanted nothing more than to get out of her godforsaken town, and now that she had, she wished she could go back to those days. Those days when her parents were there to love her and took care of her. When she didn’t have a thing to worry about and everything was simple. When the only limit was her imagination and she felt like she was able to do anything, if she just tried hard enough.</p><p>Now, her life had become an endless run, always throwing looks over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her.<br/>
That’s what her life was about: Running and losing.</p><p>Though, there was one thing that she would never lose...</p><p><em>Hope</em>.</p><p>It was the only thing that kept her alive and it always had been. Even when she was just a small girl and felt like she was stuck behind four walls that trapped her from the real world. When she was looking out her window at night, hoping to see a shooting star so she could make a wish. Even when she was too young to fully understand everything, she had never lost hope.</p><p>And even now she still had hope that one day she would be in a better situation. Hope that one day she would be able to stop running.</p><p> </p><p>The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and a chilly morning breeze blew through her black curls, as she strolled along the road. She had only been here for little over an hour, but Greendale seemed like a quiet town, and Lilith was happy about it. Quietness was something she had grown rather fond of. She had never truly known how much she needed peace and rest until she had been able to have it.</p><p>As Lilith rounded the corner of the street, her eyes caught side of a building made out of black bricks, which were covered in ivy. She stopped in front of a window and looked inside, before stepping towards the door. Above the wooden entrance hung a sign, which read: “Spellman’s Coffee.”</p><p>After a ten-hour flight, Lilith was dying for a cup of steaming hot caffeine, so she entered the shop. A bell jingled violently as she shut the door behind her and she flinched away from the unexpected noise. After composing herself, she stepped deeper into the shop, and immediately, a comfortable warmth settled around her. Taking a deep breath, the smell of freshly brewed coffee entered her nose as she looked around.</p><p>The outside of the shop didn’t look inviting to say the least, but the inside did very much. Though the building was black on the outside, the walls were yellow on the inside. Normally, Lilith hated the color yellow, but this shade was rather nice. The counter, along with several small cabinets hanging on the walls, were painted a dark green, with a wooden surface on top. The tables were made out of wood as well, but the chairs were bright red. The floor below her feet creaked when stepped on and light bulbs dangling down from strings were hanging all over the room. Everywhere around her were vases filled with colorful sets of flowers and the walls were decorated with signs with, out of all things, coffee puns written on them.</p><p>
  <em>“Feel depresso? Have a little espresso.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re such a hot-tea!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Livin’ la vida mocha.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Have a brew-tiful day!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Bean there, drank that”</em>
</p><p>To other people, they might have seemed cute, but they made Lilith feel nauseous. She seriously considered turning around to leave when she still had the chance, but the irresistible smell of fresh coffee was enough to make her stay.</p><p>Behind the counter stood a short, blonde woman, who was taking off her apron. Surely they weren’t closing this early?<br/>
Before Lilith had time to ask if they were still open, the woman called over her shoulder: “I’m off to Dr. Cee!”</p><p>A muttered voice, coming from a door behind the counter that must have lead to the kitchen, replied something that Lilith couldn’t quite hear, before the woman toddled off without sparing her a look. Lilith stood there for a moment, deciding if she should turn around and search for a different coffee shop, when another woman came through the same door the voice had come from.</p><p>She was drop dead gorgeous. The first thing Lilith noticed about her were her red painted lips. Even from a distance, Lilith noticed light freckles on her cheekbones and nose, which promised to grow darker in the summer. They were like angel’s kisses, sprinkles across her ivory skin and rosy cheeks. Her strawberry blonde curls were tied up into a high ponytail and a few loose strands framed her face neatly. The color of her lipstick matched the dress she was wearing, which clung to her body and dear God... the woman had curves to die for. Her legs were covered by a pair of nylons that must have been clipped into a garter belt somewhere beneath the fabric of her dress.</p><p>As soon as she stood behind the counter, Lilith was brutally robbed of the sight of everything below the woman’s belly button. “What can I get you?” she asked, looking up, and it was only then that Lilith noticed her beautiful, green eyes. They shone brighter than the sun ever could and pierced holes right through Lilith’s soul. They were like gems. Pure, and precious.</p><p>The woman lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her and it was only then that Lilith realized she hadn’t actually answered yet, too caught up in admiring her beauty. She felt a blush creep on her face and felt slightly embarrassed about it. Honestly, what was she? A sixteen-year-old brat?</p><p>She cleared her throat awkwardly and said: “Coffee, please.”</p><p>Green eyes looking at her intently for a few more seconds, the woman nodded her head. “I’ll bring it to your table.”</p><p>After glancing at her one last time, Lilith turned on her heel and went to sit by the window. She slipped into a chair and took her book out of her bag. Looking at the street outside, Lilith noticed that the clouds were starting to turn a shade darker and they were starting to cover up the bright sun. There weren’t many people out on the street, and those who were, quickened their pace in fear of getting wet by the rain that clearly could start pouring at any moment.</p><p>It only took a minute or two before a steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of her.</p><p>Without thinking, Lilith smirked up at the barista and purred: “Thanks <em>a latte</em>.”</p><p>Immediately, the woman’s eyes narrowed and she lowered her voice, “If you think I won’t kick you out of here just because you used a pun, you’re wrong.” she warned. Lilith almost felt intimidated by her. <em>Almost</em>.</p><p>Frowning, Lilith gestured at the signs, “You didn’t put those on the wall then?”</p><p>She shook her head, and a tired and somehow annoyed sigh emerged from her lips, “I’m afraid my sister is responsible for those.”</p><p>“Then I do not wish to meet your sister. Ever.” Lilith decided.</p><p>The barista chuckled slightly and just stood by the table for a moment longer, “The Picture of Dorian Gray?” she then asked, eyeing Lilith’s book as she turned her head a little to get a better look at it.</p><p>Lilith nodded, for unknows reasons feeling quite excited about someone noticing, “It’s one of my favorite books.”</p><p>“Then you have good taste. Oscar Wilde is my favorite author.”</p><p>“Really?” Lilith asked, as if she couldn’t believe that there were more Oscar Wilde fans in the world apart from herself, though that certainly was far from true.</p><p>She hummed softly, “He really understood life. In my opinion, at least.” Then she turned around to retreat back to her counter, her hips swaying as she took a few steps.</p><p>“And you don’t?”</p><p>Lilith’s question was enough to stop her in her tracks. Facing her once more, she asked: “Would I be working in a coffee shop if I did?”</p><p>As she bit her lip, Lilith could feel some kind of curiosity forming in the pits of her stomach. There was something about this woman that intrigued her. Maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled, her mysterious smile or the soft lines in her face, but something told Lilith that there was a lot more about this woman than anyone could see. “Do you want to join me?” she wondered, gesturing at the empty chair across from her.</p><p>She shook her head, “I have work to do.”</p><p>“Surely you could spare a minute or two.” Lilith argued, “I’ll give you extra tip.” she added, which seemed to be enough for the woman to change her mind.</p><p>Moving towards the table, she said: “I’ll need to ask my manager first.”</p><p>Without hesitation, she sat down in the chair.</p><p>Lilith arched an eyebrow.<br/>
“I thought you had to ask your manager?”</p><p>A smug smile formed on her red lips, “I am the manager.”</p><p>Lilith chuckled, realizing that she should have guessed that from the start. “Of course you are. I’m Lilith, by the way.” She extended a hand, and the other woman shook it. Her hands were incredibly soft, and Lilith wondered if she used lotion to keep them smooth or if they were just naturally like that.</p><p>“Zelda Spellman.”</p><p>“Have you never had another job than serving coffee to rude customers?” Lilith asked, not really believing that the woman in front of her had never done anything more meaningful than that.</p><p>“Of course I have.” she huffed, leaning back in her chair.</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>She lifted an eyebrow and gave her a somewhat suspicious look, “Are you just curious by nature or are you trying to do small talk?”</p><p>“I don’t do small talk.” Lilith confessed, hoping that the answer would satisfy her. She had never seen the point in talking to people just to be polite. It was a waste of time and effort, and she just simply couldn’t be bothered with any of it. What was the point in asking questions if you weren’t interested in the answer anyway?</p><p>After seeming to consider her for a moment, Zelda sighed and answered: “I used to be a midwife, I worked at a mortuary for some time and before this,” she waved her hand around, “I was a teacher at the Academy of Unseen Arts here in Greendale.”</p><p>Lilith was probably imagining things that weren’t there, but she could have sworn she heard Zelda’s voice crack a little at the mention of the academy. But she smart enough to not say anything about it. Instead she grimaced, “Teaching... I think I’d slap the living daylight out of those brats!”</p><p>Zelda crinkled her nose, a guilty smile playing on her face.</p><p>“You slapped them?” Lilith gaped at her, not being able to wrap the idea of the woman sitting in front of her do such a thing. They had just met, but somehow she knew that something bad must have happened for her to cross such a line.</p><p>“It was one time, and she really went too far.” Zelda admitted, and for a moment she seemed to get lost in thoughts.</p><p>“Oh do tell.” Lilith smirked, folding her hands together with a curious look on her face.</p><p>But Zelda gave her a tired look, “I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you.”</p><p>Lilith eyed her for a moment. Zelda was staring at the table, her fingers fiddling with her gigantic ring and biting her lower lip so hard Lilith was sure she was going to hurt herself. “Of course.”</p><p>Zelda threw her a thankful nod, before her head turned sharply towards the counter where a young man was standing, waiting to order. “My manager just informed me that I have to get back to work.”</p><p>Lilith tilted her head and warned: “Then you better hurry or they’ll fire you.”</p><p>Chuckling softly, Zelda got up and retreated to her counter, hips swaying as she went.</p><p>Lilith watched Zelda greet the customer with a polite smile, before she started making his order. Every now and then her eyes trailed off and looked in Lilith’s direction, but every time Zelda found Lilith already staring at her, they both averted their gazes.</p><p>After adding whipped cream on top of her customer’s drink, Zelda handed it to him. “Enjoy your venti, half-whole milk, non-fat, extra hot, no foam latte, with whip, 2 packets of Splenda, 1 sugar in the raw, a touch of vanilla syrup and 3 short sprinkles of cinnamon.” She mustered a smile at him, but as soon as he was out of earshot, her face fell and she muttered under her breath: “You fucking freak.”</p><p>Lilith tried to hold it in, but a loud laugh, that came out as a snort, escaped from her throat anyway.</p><p>Licking her lips, Zelda gave Lilith a deadly glare, “Enjoying the show?”</p><p>Without replying, Lilith lifted the cup of coffee to her lips, and hid her smile by taking a large gulp.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe this place wasn’t so horrible after all.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>She went back the next day.</p><p>Only, Zelda wasn’t standing behind her counter. It was the short, blonde one, who greeted her happily: “Hi! What can I get you, my love?”</p><p>Lilith looked around for a moment, her brow furrowed and her lips a tight line, “Is Zelda here?”</p><p>The blonde’s grin fell off her face as she stared at her for a few seconds, “Uhhh... She only works in the afternoon on Thursdays.” Her smile was quick to return, “But I’m her sister, can I help you instead?”</p><p>
  <em>Her sister?</em>
</p><p>“The one who loves puns, eh?”</p><p>Eyes going wide in enthusiasm, she answered: “Yup! That’s me!”</p><p>Lilith nodded her head, copying the woman’s excited expression, “How lovely!” she grinned, before dropping the whole act with a huff, “I’ll wait until Zelda gets here.”</p><p>Turning on her heel, she still heard the overexcited hobbit quote one of the signs on the walls: “Have a brew-tiful day!”</p><p>Hands turning into fists as she tried to stop herself from tearing the nearest pun off the wall, she sauntered over to the table by the window and sat down. Knowing that it could take some hours until Zelda arrived, she took the same book she had brought yesterday out of her bag and started reading.</p><p>“The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees...”</p><p>Lilith had lost count of how many times she had read that particular book. She had read it for the first time ages ago, but every time she did, it felt as if she read it for the first time all over again. Somehow, there were always passages that she could not recall reading ever before or scenes that she simply had no memory of. It was a whole new experience every single time. In a way, it felt like coming home. Over the years she had grown so attached to the fictional world Wilde had created, that it felt like it was a part of her. It made her feel complete.</p><p>She did not notice how time was passing and neither did she notice Zelda had entered the shop, until a plate of scones with jelly on the side was sat in front of her.</p><p>Looking up from her book, Lilith’s eyes caught sight of Zelda’s beautiful body. Today, she was wearing a navy blue blouse along with a black, high waisted skirt that hugged the curves of her hips in a way that made sinful thoughts creep into Lilith’s mind. That outfit should have been considered illegal.</p><p>Zelda’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, “Since when have you been sitting here?”</p><p>Forcing her eyes to move up to her face, Lilith lifted her shoulders nonchalantly,<br/>
“8 a.m. or so?”</p><p>Zelda gasped, and then asked in disbelief: “You’ve been sitting here for 5 hours without eating or drinking anything?”</p><p>Again, she shrugged, “I guess so, yes. I was waiting for you.”</p><p>“Why?” Zelda frowned, her eyes glimmering with curiosity.</p><p>Lilith’s answer was simple: “I don’t want coffee coming from someone who has an unhealthy obsession with puns.”</p><p>“Does that rule apply on scones as well?” she asked, nudging her finger against the side of the plate. The small biscuits looked delicious, and her tummy felt rather hungry, so Lilith reconsidered her statement.</p><p>“Fortunately, it only counts for coffees.” Lilith smiled up at her, batting her lashes a few times.</p><p>“Well, I made this one.” Zelda said, as she placed a hot cup of coffee -that Lilith hadn’t noticed she’d been holding- in front of her. “Actually, you’re one of the few customers who order just coffee without anything special in it.”</p><p>“Normally I’d get it with Hawaiian Salted Caramel syrup, but since you don’t have it-“</p><p>“What makes you think that?” Zelda asked, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest.</p><p>Lilith tilted her head slightly, “Well do you have it?”</p><p>“No, but I could have had it.” She huffed and crinkled her nose, and though she tried to look offended, Lilith found the sight utterly adorable.</p><p>An idea sprung to her mind. “I’ll bring my own bottle tomorrow, so you can taste it.”</p><p>Zelda made a sound of disgust coming from the pits of her throat, “I hate coffee syrup. It’s way too sweet and it ruins a perfectly good coffee.”</p><p>“This one is good, trust me.” she snatched a scone from the plate and took a large bite. She wanted to moan when she tasted the biscuit. It was the best scone she had ever had. Knowing that her eyes had probably gone wide in delight, she cleared her throat, “Anyway, thanks <em>a latte</em>.” Lilith thanked her by using that dreadful pun once again, with a knowing smile forming on her red painted lips.</p><p>“If you say that one more time, I’m going to throw that coffee all over your head.” Zelda threatened with a deadly glare, and a playful spark in her eyes.</p><p>Lilith pushed her luck, and after batting her lashes innocently, she started: “Thanks a la-“</p><p>Zelda grabbed the cup, lifted it, and held it over Lilith’s head, only putting it back down onto the table when she stopped talking and didn’t finish her sentence.</p><p>Still, Lilith looked at her with a wicked smile and dared to challenge her one last time.</p><p>“I was only tea-sing.”</p><p>In one swift motion, Zelda took one of the scones from the plate and, with a flick of her wrist, threw it right into Lilith’s face.</p><p>Lilith yelped, before bursting out into giggles, and for some reason, it felt like the best laugh she’d had in years. Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed. Not when it was genuine, at least. Zelda was still chuckling when she spun around and retreated to the back of her counter. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the pinkish color suited her ivory skin rather well. She glanced over at Lilith and shook her head, before disappearing into the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>As promised, Lilith took a bottle of Hawaiian Salted Caramel syrup with her to the coffee shop the next day. She had tried it for the first time when she was on a trip to Honolulu a long time ago, and had bought enough bottles to last a few years. This was her very last bottle, and she was more than excited to share it with Zelda.</p><p>Lilith strolled over the road, bottle in hand, as the sound of laughing teenagers filled her ears. She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder to see what their stupid faces looked like, and was met by five wanky boys with long limbs and red faces full of acne. The signature odor of marijuana reached her nose and Lilith rolled her eyes.</p><p>She continued walking, and soon enough she caught sight of the coffee shop’s black walls. As she passed the large window, a smile appeared on her face. Zelda was cleaning the tables and looked up from her work to wave at her. After waving back, Lilith speeded up her pace, but kept her eyes on Zelda. She was so caught up in the sight of her, that she didn’t notice someone walking in front of her and ran right into them.</p><p>Stumbling, Lilith tried to find her balance, but before she had time to properly register what was happening, the bottle in her hand slipped from her grip and shattered on the ground. Less than a second after, Lilith fell onto the concrete surface as well.</p><p>“Shit.” Lilith breathed heavily as she tried to lift her head from the ground, but failed. She then heard a distressed, annoying voice coming from next to her, and she immediately recognized it to be Hilda’s.</p><p>“Oh bugger! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking-“</p><p>Lilith groaned loudly, and from the corner of her eye, she saw the blonde hobbit flinch at the sound. “I am so, so sorry! I was in a hurry-“ Of course it had been her.</p><p>“You idiot!” Came another, more deep, husky voice. It was sweet Zelda. “Are you alright?” Lilith heard her ask, as she felt a soft hand hesitantly touch the side of her face.</p><p>With great difficulty, Lilith rolled onto her back, and she heard Zelda gasp. “Hilda you fool! Look what you’ve done! There is glass in her forehead!”</p><p>“I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!” Hilda defended herself, looking like she was afraid Zelda might kill her on the spot. And by the glare Zelda threw her, that probably wasn’t far from the truth. “Really, I’m so-“</p><p>“Shut it!” Zelda snapped, glowering at her sister. Hilda bit her lower lip nervously and started fiddling with the hem of her dress.</p><p>Blinking up, Lilith saw Zelda sitting on her knees by her side, “It’s just a scratch.” Lilith noted after bringing her hand to the wound to determine how bad it was.</p><p>Zelda’s eyes widened, “A scratch? For God’s sake, Lilith you’re bleeding!” She slapped Lilith’s hand away from her forehead, “Don’t touch it! You’ll only push the shard deeper.” Her head snapped up and she scowled at Hilda. “You clean up this mess while I take care of her wound!”</p><p>Immediately, Hilda squeaked and ran inside to get some things to clean up the broken bottle, seeming more than happy to flee from the scene. With difficulty, Lilith sat up.</p><p>“Careful.” she heard Zelda say softly, right before the filthy laughter of those stinky teenagers reached her ears once more. Except now, they were laughing at her.<br/>
Fortunately, the sound died once Zelda threw them a very dirty look. Their laughter turned into awkward coughs and Lilith struggled to stop a smile from forming on her lips. The teenagers eventually started walking again, and even though they still kept looking back, they didn’t say anything. Zelda’s glare made sure of it.</p><p>“You don’t need to take care of me.” Lilith muttered, “I’m fine.”</p><p>“Say that to the glass in your face.” she huffed. “Let’s get you inside.” Zelda wrapped an arm around Lilith’s shoulders, and she couldn’t help but catch the faint smell of her shampoo. She smelled freshly showered and her body was nice and warm against her own. With Zelda’s help, Lilith got back on her feet.</p><p>A whining sound emerged from her mouth when her eyes landed on the broken bottle of syrup, “That was my last one!”</p><p>Zelda stroke her arm in a comforting motion, when suddenly her lips parted and she grinned slightly, “I’ll try to recreate it.”</p><p>Lilith gave her a skeptical look, and lifted an eyebrow, “You’re gonna make me coffee syrup?”</p><p>“Well I am a barista, I should be able to make it work.” Still, Lilith didn’t look convinced, but she nodded her head anyway. “But first I’m gonna take care of your wound.”</p><p>With her arm around Zelda’s neck, Lilith managed to get inside the shop. They passed Hilda on their way in, but luckily the little troll was smart enough to not make any eye contact, swiftly making her way outside again. Zelda led her to the back of the counter and through the door that led to the kitchen. She made Lilith sit in a chair and started rummaging through a cabinet in search of a first aid kit.</p><p>Lilith looked around the kitchen. It was pretty much decorated the same as the coffee shop itself, but for some reason, this small space felt warmer. It felt more intimate. The sunlit room smelled like freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries. She also noticed that the chair she was sitting on was much more comfortable than the ones they used in the shop.</p><p>Crimson drops of blood were dripping down from the cut right above her eyebrow and her knees hurt a little as well. But instead of thinking too much about the pain, Lilith fixed her gaze on Zelda, who was thoroughly washing her hands. Then she took a wipe and put some water on it.</p><p>“This might hurt a little.” Zelda said matter of factly, before she leaned in closer and started cleansing the area around the cut. She wiped carefully, as if Lilith’s skin was a piece of delicate art. The water stung when it touched the cut and Lilith winced slightly. “Hold still.” Zelda commanded, sounding a tiny bit exasperated, but actually more concerned.</p><p>Their eyes met and both women froze, Zelda’s hand still at the cut. For a moment, Lilith was sure she could feel electricity coursing through her veins as she stared into Zelda’s eyes. Around them, time seemed frozen and Lilith suddenly wasn’t aware of her surroundings anymore. The only thing she saw was Zelda. She could see her own reflection in Zelda’s eyes. Her pupils were dilated and Lilith caught the scent of her shampoo once again. A hot, throbbing feeling formed in the pits of her stomach and she didn’t even dare to breathe. The tension is the room became nearly unbearable, something passing between them that simply could not be described by either one of them. It was strange and unfamiliar, yet pleasant and intimate.</p><p>Finally coming back to her senses, Lilith averted her eyes and looked down.</p><p>Zelda cleared her throat awkwardly, a faint blush creeping on her pale cheeks, but still, she remained close. So close Lilith could feel her breath on her skin. Lilith’s heart was beating rapidly, and she could feel heat spreading over her face.</p><p>When Zelda was satisfied with her work, she turned around and cleaned a pair of tweezers with rubbing alcohol. Again, she leaned in closer and fixed her gaze on the small shard. Her glasses were perched on the tip of her nose, and they made her eyes look a bit bigger than they actually were. Lilith found the look rather cute.</p><p>With Zelda hovering over her like an overprotective mother, Lilith found her mind wandering off to her ex. Luc had never been the caring kind. She remembered an evening when she had fallen off the stage during a show, earning a large cut on her knee. Instead of looking after her or taking her to see a doctor, Luc had told her to take the rest of the night off and it would be healed by the next day. He could not have been more wrong. She had, of course, carried on working at Luc’s club, performing dances and flirting with his filthy friends despite the discomfort the wound was causing her. With every step she took, she had felt a burning pain around the cut, but she never dared to say anything about it to Luc. He’d only call her weak and show her ‘real pain’. That was the kind of man he was.</p><p>It was only after a few days, when the wound became red and swollen, caused by an infection, that one of Luc’s customers noticed her injury. Out of all things, the man turned out to be a doctor and he demanded Luc would take her to the hospital straight away. So that’s what he did. He dropped her off and returned home, without ever bothering to come check on her.</p><p>But Zelda was different.</p><p>Ever so carefully, she took hold of the glass with the pair of tweezers. She was biting her lip softly and her shimmering green eyes were completely focussed on the wound. It was an adorable sight, and Lilith drank it in while she still could. It was something Luc would have never done for her. Not even if her life depended on it.</p><p>Finally, Zelda pulled the piece of glass out of her skin as Lilith grimaced. Zelda held the shard up with her tweezers so Lilith could see it. It was maybe an inch big.</p><p>“Want to keep it as a memento?” she asked, eyeing the piece with a somehow fascinated look on her face.</p><p>Lilith chuckled, “I’d rather have a kiss to make me feel better.” That comment had been meant to remain unspoken, but maybe the pain of her cut and the loss of her dear coffee syrup was loosening her tongue. Or maybe it was just being around Zelda that made her lose her sense of dignity.</p><p>The toothy smile that Zelda threw her made a little flutter form in her chest, but Lilith kept a straight face and lifted her eyebrows suggestively.</p><p>Zelda seemed to realize that Lilith was serious, and after the shock wore off, she smiled nervously, “I think the pain has made you delirious.” Her voice trembled ever so slightly and Lilith noticed with delight that she was wonderfully easy to scandalize.</p><p>After Zelda cleansed the wound, she applied some antibiotic ointment and guided Lilith back into the shop. Lilith couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, rejected even.</p><p>As soon as Lilith was settled by her usual table, Zelda went back into the kitchen to recreate Lilith’s lost syrup.</p><p>Yet again, Lilith’s thoughts drifted off to Luc. She wondered if he’d ever find her, and if he did, what he would do to her. Which punishment he would see fit to match the crime she did. He was not merciful. Lilith knew she would have to run from him for the rest of her life. Luc was not a quitter, but he was a very sore loser. He’d never admit defeat and he would keep looking for her, even if it was the last thing he did. Soon enough, Lilith would be forced to leave this boring little town behind, along with the coffee shop and this woman who had made her feel <em>things</em> she had never felt before.</p><p>The thought stung a little.</p><p>In all the places she’d visited, she had never experienced the feeling of not wanting to leave, until now. She had met incredible people, stayed in amazing cities and seen the most breathtaking landscapes...</p><p>And still none of it compared to the beautiful simplicity this particular place offered her.</p><p>After what only felt like seconds, she was brought back to the present by a steaming cup of coffee being placed in front of her. It smelled strange to say the least, and Lilith had her doubts, but Zelda looked at her with such a proud grin and she could do nothing else but smile and lift the cup to her lips. With the cup pressed right beneath her nose, the smell seemed to be even worse than when she had smelled it for the first time. Her eyes briefly went back at Zelda, who was watching her full of anticipation and pride.</p><p>Bracing herself for the inevitable death which was most certainly awaiting her, Lilith lifted the cup and took a sip from the hot drink.</p><p>It tasted even worse than she had expected it to.</p><p>It was as if she had simply taken some maple syrup, put a ton of salt in it along with a caramel drizzle and finished it with cinnamon, ginger and lime. Lilith was sure she tasted some pineapple and coconut in it as well. Honestly, what had Zelda been thinking?</p><p>Still, Lilith managed to nod her head approvingly, “Amazing.”</p><p>Zelda’s face fell, “You hate it.” she stated, looking disappointed and hurt. Lilith was fairy certain a pouting lip was about to appear as well.</p><p>“No! No, it’s great! Really!” Lilith reassured her, hesitantly taking another small sip from the cup and trying not to vomit.</p><p>As soon as she swallowed, Zelda threw her head back and the sound of her throaty laughter filled the room.</p><p>Lilith arched an eyebrow at her, before she realized she had been tricked. “Oh you dirty little minx!” she scowled as Zelda giggled, a satisfied look on her face that told Lilith she was very proud of herself.</p><p>“You’ll pay for that.” Lilith warned, pointing a finger at her.</p><p>But Zelda only hummed: “Promises, promises.” and strolled back to her counter, leaving the scent of her perfume lingering in the air and the sound of her laugh still ringing in Lilith’s ears.</p><p>And for some reason, Lilith found it impossible to be mad at her.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi there my little darlings &lt;3 Thanks for reading my fic, I cannot believe how much love this thing got like wow. I am honestly stunned. </p><p>I hope you all like this chapter just as much as the last one :) </p><p>Get ready for some mommy Zelda and a wee bit of angst. Remember that I turned the names Judas into James  and please enjoy ;D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Soon enough, visiting the coffee shop became a habit. She spent most of her days hanging around the shop, keeping Zelda off her work, scolding at Hilda and insulting other customers for ordering complicated drinks. Except when it was Hilda who was standing behind the counter. Then, she encouraged the customers to make their order a little more difficult. Just to challenge her a bit, of course.</p><p>She found herself utterly bored on Tuesday, which was the only day the shop was closed. On that day, she settled for scaring off stinky toddlers in the park and nicking their left shoes. Nothing felt better than having the slide all to herself, with the sound of crying children playing in the background. But her happiness did not last long. When she was about to go on the swing, those infernal mothers showed up, accusing her of things she most certainly did, but would never admit. Then the only thing left for her to do, was going back to her hotel room and plan how she could bully poor Hilda the following day.</p><p>It had been a little less than a week since she had first come to Greendale, and she found herself not wanting to leave any time soon. It wasn’t the town itself that she would miss, but one person in particular. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she had grown rather fond of Zelda.</p><p>That was probably why Lilith felt a wave of anger course through her body when she entered the coffee shop and saw a man shouting at her.</p><p>“You know what happens if you don’t pay your rent, Zelda. You have two more days!” the man threatened, holding a baby in his arms. He had short black hair, with most certainly an entire bottle of hair gel in it, and was wearing a suit that looked like he had stolen it from a vampire. For some reason, his features reminded Lilith of a wolf. The man looked shady as hell, plus, he had pointy ears. Her mother had always taught her never to trust anyone with pointy ears. ‘They got criminal instincts.’</p><p>“Don’t shout in front of the children, Faustus. You know it upsets them.” Zelda tried, her voice calm as she as well carried a baby.</p><p>But it only seemed to enrage the man more, “This is my property and I will shout as much as I like!” The baby he was holding made a soft wailing sound, before its cries filled the room. The other baby quickly joined its sibling and soon enough the only sounds to be heard were their screams. Luckily there weren’t any customers yet.</p><p>Zelda bounced the babe up and down, making hushing noises and pressing kisses to its head. Lilith wasn’t sure if she should interfere or not, so she just stood by the door for a moment longer.</p><p>“Let’s just put them to bed so we can properly discuss this.” Zelda suggested, but the man shook his head stubbornly.</p><p>“This is not a discussion, Zelda. You have two days!” With that, the man dropped the baby he was holding into Zelda’s arms and turned around. He stormed towards the door, which Lilith was standing in front of. His face was red, probably from shouting so much and his eyes were so wide Lilith thought they were about to explode. The man tried to pass her, but Lilith kept blocking the door. He groaned in annoyance, “Get out of my way!”</p><p>Lilith licked her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest, “Does shouting at women make you feel like a real man?” she asked, her eyes narrowed and her lips a thin line.</p><p>“What?” he frowned, giving her a puzzled look.</p><p>“Do you think shouting will cover up the fact that you obviously have a tiny di-“</p><p>“It’s okay, Lilith.” Zelda cut her off, “Let him through.”</p><p>She looked at Zelda, who was bouncing the babes in her arms up and down and gave her a reassuring nod. Lilith moved away from the door, but couldn’t help but throw him a very dirty glare as he passed her.</p><p>Zelda gave her an awkward smile as Lilith took careful steps towards her. “What are those?” she asked, glancing at the two wailing children and lifted an eyebrow.</p><p>“Meet Leticia and James.” Zelda bit her lower lip, and Lilith only frowned.</p><p>“Do they-? Are they-?”</p><p>“Yes, they are mine, if that’s what you’re trying to ask?”</p><p>Lilith very nearly choked, before stuttering: “But their skin? You’re as pale as a corpse.” Both babies had light brown skin, big, dark eyes and black, curly hair.</p><p>Zelda gave her a threatening look, but seemed to decide that now was not the time to start a discussion about her skin color. “I adopted them. Their mother died after she gave birth to them, and since I married their father, I thought it was only right.”</p><p>Lilith was sure her jaw had dropped onto the floor, as she uttered: “Married their father?”</p><p>“I’ll explain everything later. Could you help me put them to bed?”</p><p>Blinking at her, Lilith nodded hesitantly, “Sure, but I’m not good with-“ before she had time to finish her sentence, one of the screaming babies was placed into her unexpecting arms. “And which one is this?”</p><p>“Leticia.” Zelda replied quickly, before turning around and walking into the kitchen. Lilith hurried after her, eyeing the baby with a frightened look and praying to God that she wouldn’t drop the damn thing, which was currently screaming in her ear. She was sure Zelda would shoot her on the spot if that happened.</p><p>She followed Zelda through a door in the back of the kitchen that she had somehow never noticed before. Not even when she was on a quest to find some of Hilda’s delicious scones when Zelda was too busy serving other customers. Probably because Zelda had kicked her out rather quickly. Still, she hadn’t even noticed it when Zelda had taken care of her wound, which actually made sense, because in that moment she had been so caught up with staring at Zelda that she wouldn’t have noticed anything but her.</p><p>Behind the door was a staircase and when they reached the top, Zelda disappeared down a corridor, before finally entering a small room. Two cribs were placed against the wall and Zelda walked over to them, before gently laying baby James into one.<br/>Lilith copied her motion and placed Leticia into the crib next to her brother.</p><p>Zelda then caressed both of their cheeks and started humming a melody Lilith did not recognize. She then moved her hand to the babies’ bellies and rubbed them tenderly. Lilith could feel her heart melt a little as she watched the scene in front of her. She had never imagined Zelda to be a mother, but seeing her like this didn’t seem strange at all. It looked like it was a second nature to her, and her face seemed to be glowing with happiness as she stared down at her babies. After a few moments, their cries faded and they both drifted off to what was ought to be a peaceful sleep.</p><p>Both women left the room quietly and as soon as Zelda closed the door behind them, Lilith gasped: “You’re <em>married</em>?”</p><p>“It was a foolish decision, I know.” Zelda admitted, staring at the wall with a regretful look on her face.</p><p>“And your husband... is he the guy who was shouting at you in the middle of your own shop?”</p><p>Zelda sighed deeply, stroking a hand through her hair, “The very same, and unfortunately, it’s his shop. I merely rent it from him.”</p><p>“That still doesn’t give him the right to treat you that way. A little respect is the least he could offer you. After all, you are the legal mother of his children, right?”</p><p>“Why, yes but Faustus doesn’t think of me that way. He even tried to keep the twins away from me. Luckily, he didn’t succeed.” Zelda turned around to go back down to the shop, but Lilith stopped her with a soft touch of her hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“I don’t mean to be rude or nosey,” Lilith started, her voice gentle, “but I heard him say something about you having to pay the rent?”</p><p>Zelda gave her a tired smile, “I am able to do so, don’t worry. I just wanted to save some money, so I could afford a lawyer and finally divorce that bastard. But I guess I will have to try that plan again next month.”</p><p>“Well maybe I can help with that?” Lilith suggested, the corners of her mouth moving up into a small grin.</p><p>Giving her a skeptical look, Zelda asked: “How?”</p><p>“I know a guy, Daniel Webster. One of the best lawyers you’ll ever meet. He owes me a favor or two. I’ll ask him to be your lawyer, if you’d want that?”</p><p>“Lilith, that’s sweet, but I can’t possibly accept that offer.” Zelda turned around and walked down the stairs, with Lilith close behind her.</p><p>“Yes you can. You just have to say yes.” she insisted, speeding up her pace to keep up with her.</p><p>Once they were in the kitchen, Zelda stood still and faced her again. Her eyes were somewhat scared, as she seemed to consider the offer for a moment. “What can I give you in return?”</p><p>Lilith mimicked a thinking face, tapping her finger against her cheek, “I think a cup of coffee will suffice.” she decided, pursing her lips playfully.</p><p>Zelda opened her mouth for a moment and closed it again, a very confused look on her face. “You’re the first person who ever offered to help me and I’ve only known you for roughly a week. Why do you care so much?”</p><p>Exhaling through her nose as she shrugged her shoulders and threw her the faintest of smiles, Lilith answered honestly: “Because I know what it’s like to be tied to a man without having a way out.” she swallowed and added, “And I didn’t have a person who cared enough to help me. I don’t want you to go through the same thing.” A dry chuckle emerged from her throat. It was the first time she had mentioned it to anyone. It made a stinging feeling form in her chest.</p><p>Zelda didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Her face told Lilith more than enough. Though she looked utterly stunned, Lilith knew that she understood.</p><p>Because Zelda seemed too dumbstruck to speak, Lilith asked: “Shall I give him a call?”</p><p>After blinking at her and licking her lips, Zelda gave her a single nod. She seemed slightly nervous, her eyes were wide and a vein on her forehead looked as if it could pop any minute. She was scared. And she had every right to be afraid of what was ahead of her.</p><p>Carefully, Lilith placed a hand on her bicep and smiled at her reassuringly, “Everything will be fine, Zelda. I’ll make sure of it.”</p><p>A muffled “Yeah.” came from Zelda’s throat, as she looked down at the floor. And then for the first time, Zelda leaned forward and hesitantly wrapped her arms around Lilith’s waist, laying her head on Lilith’s shoulder. For a moment, Lilith was too shocked to react, but then she returned the hug by placing her arms around Zelda’s back. She traced small circles with her hand over her spine and whispered words of comfort. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”</p><p>Zelda shuddered briefly, and Lilith added: “I’ll stay with you through this.” Lilith knew that that was a hard promise to keep, but she was going to try to stay with Zelda for as long as she could. For as long as she needed her.</p><p>Even if that meant sacrificing her own safety in the process.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>It had been a few days since the blonde hobbit made her hit the ground. The cut her accident had left behind was starting to heal, but also starting to itch. So naturally, she scratched it.</p><p>“Don’t scratch!” Zelda very nearly snarled at her from behind the counter, while handing a customer their order. “You’ll get a scar.” she added, her voice softer this time, maybe even a little worried.</p><p>Lilith smirked. “Well maybe I want a reminder of you, dear.”</p><p>Zelda choked on air, before giving her a scandalized look while biting her lip. Her eyes might have been deceiving her, but Lilith was fairly certain a hint of pink crept onto Zelda’s ivory cheeks. “You’re <em>blushing</em>!” Lilith noted loudly, not caring that the coffee shop was filled to the brim with customers.</p><p>“I’m doing nothing of the kind.” Zelda snapped, looking up from adding whipped cream to a steaming drink. And indeed there it was: An undeniably red glow on both her cheeks.</p><p>Lilith laughed joyfully, “Oh how utterly delightful.” she cheered, earning a death glare from Zelda. It was a rather intimidating stare, Lilith had to give her that much, but due to the crimson blush on her cheeks, it was all in vain.</p><p>The barista finished up her customers drink, before marching to Lilith’s table with what seemed to be a handful of salt packets and a murderous look on her face. Lilith stifled a chuckle at the sight of her. Without warning, she tore the packets open and poured the salt into Lilith’s coffee, one after another. All the while, she kept her gaze fixed on Lilith’s amused face, her nostrils flaring in annoyance.</p><p>Once she ran out of salt, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, a satisfied grin on her lips. “Enjoy your coffee.” she mocked.</p><p>“You know, you really are rather adorable when you’re blushing.” Lilith smiled innocently, reaching up to briefly swipe a finger over Zelda’s chin. Confused, Zelda’s lips parted, before her face hardened and her jaw tightened. Though Lilith didn’t miss the way her eyes turned a little softer at the comment. And she most definitely noticed the way her lashes fluttered when Lilith caressed her skin for just a brief second.</p><p>Zelda huffed and raised an eyebrow, before retreating to the back of her counter. She kept on glancing at Lilith’s table until Lilith left the shop later that afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Lilith walked into the coffee shop with Daniel by her side. “Zelda, meet Daniel Webster. Mister Webster, meet Zelda Spellman.” Lilith introduced the two to each other as Zelda frowned, but still shook the man’s awaiting hand.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Mister Webster, though I have to say I hadn’t expected you to be here quite so soon.” She threw Lilith a questioning look, but Lilith only smiled at her, folding her hands behind her back.</p><p>“I don’t live far from here. Just across the river near Riverdale, actually. And I know that Lilith does not enjoy to be kept waiting.” the man glared at her for a second, but Lilith’s smile still didn’t falter. He then glanced at Zelda and continued: “I came as soon as possible.”</p><p>Zelda stared at Lilith, but still found no real expression on her face. “Well then, let’s get down to business.” she turned to Hilda, who was cleaning the tables near the counter, “Hilda, fetch us some tea and biscuits, will you?”</p><p>Hilda blinked and dropped her cloth with an enthusiastic grin, “Of course, Zelds! I made some yummy biscuits with cinnamon and some with-“ before she had time to finish her sentence, Zelda turned on her heel and lead her guests away from the shop and into the kitchen.</p><p>After climbing the stairs and going through a corridor, she held a door open for them. The room they entered turned out to be a sunlit library. It wasn’t a large room, but there were books stacked against the walls everywhere Lilith looked. She wondered if Zelda had read all of them and if she had, how many times. And how long had it taken her to collect all of them? The room smelled nice: like paper and coffee. It was probably Lilith’s favorite combination. By the window, stood a large sofa which looked rather inviting, but Zelda gestured her hand towards a round table in the middle of the room with wooden chairs around it. Daniel sat himself down, and Zelda joined him.</p><p>After clearing her throat awkwardly, Lilith announced: “Well, I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”</p><p>But before she even got the chance to turn around and exit the room, Zelda stopped her. “Lilith, I’d very much appreciate it if you stayed.”</p><p>Zelda looked at her as if she was some sort of lifeline, like she really needed her there for some kind of emotional support. Naturally, Lilith could do nothing else, but take a seat around the wooden table as well.</p><p>“Alright, Miss Spellman. What can I help you with?” Daniel asked, after taking a piece of paper and a pen out of his briefcase.</p><p>Clearing her throat, Zelda started: “I want to file for-“</p><p>“Hello, sorry to interrupt. I’m just dropping off this tray and then I’ll be gone again.” Hilda came through the door, the sound of rattling teacups reaching Lilith’s ears. She set the tray with biscuits and tea on the table with a wide grin on her face and offered Daniel a polite nod and a wave.</p><p>“For goodness sake, Hilda. Don’t you know how to knock?” Zelda groaned, throwing her sister a dirty glare.</p><p>Hilda raised her eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into her hairline, “<em>Excuse me</em>, but you were the one who asked me to-“</p><p>“Just get the hell out, woman!” Lilith snapped, pointing at the door.</p><p>Huffing, Hilda tightened her jaw and turned around, muttering something about how infuriating ‘some people’ are. Lilith and Zelda both rolled their eyes, as Daniel tried to act like everything that happened had gone entirely unnoticed by him. Once Hilda was out the door, Lilith snatched a chocolate chip cookie off the plate and took a large bite. A scowl formed on her face as she realised that the chocolate chips were actually raisins. That was the moment her hate for Hilda went through the roof. Her eye twitched as she slowly munched and then swallowed.<br/>She quickly reached for a cup of tea and took a large gulp.</p><p>Mint.</p><p>Bloody mint tea. If she wanted to taste mint she would just eat some damn toothpaste, honestly. Never in her life, had she been quite so disappointed in such a small amount of time.</p><p>“So, you want to file for what exactly?” Daniel asked, pale eyes studying Zelda intently.</p><p>Zelda coughed and answered, “I want to file for divorce.” She placed her hands on her crossed legs and started fidgeting with a piece of her dress.</p><p>“Alright, and how does your soon to be ex-husband feel about that?” Mister Webster asked, writing something down on the paper in front of him.</p><p>“We’ve been separated for at least six months, and I am fairly certain he doesn’t really want to finalize our divorce.” She, shifting in her seat a bit as her eyes darted around the room.</p><p>Daniel lifted his gaze from the paper and looked at Zelda, “Is that because he wants to give your relationship another try?”</p><p>“Oh God no.” Zelda shook her head, a loud snort filling the air, “He hates me just as much as I hate him. The only reason I can imagine is, because he can’t stand to be dumped.”</p><p>A questioning look appeared on Daniel’s face, but he only replied, “I see.” He returned to writing on his paper and then said: “So tell me about your marriage.”</p><p>Zelda stared at the table for a moment, her fingers fiddling around restlessly, before she started telling her story with a trembling voice. She told about how they had met when she was 16. Apparently they had gone to the same school and would later both be teachers in that same school themselves. Zelda told about how their relationship had consisted of hooking up and arguing.</p><p>Faustus later became principal and married a woman named Constance. She had gotten pregnant, and during her pregnancy, Zelda and Faustus had started their affair once again. “It’s awful, I know. I should never have started something with a married man,” she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, “but lust can do strange things to a person’s mind.”</p><p>Neither Lilith or Daniel dared to reply to that, so Zelda continued. Constance had died right after delivering the twins, and only weeks after, Faustus had proposed to her. “Faustus had a high position, he had power and he has always had some kind of charm that I’ve never been able to resist.” she crossed her arms in front of her chest and tightened her jaw, as her nostrils flared lightly, “I accepted his proposal, thinking that I would be able to seek my own glory in the process.”</p><p>After grabbing a cup of tea from the tray, she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. Her hands shaking ever so slightly as she sat it back down onto the table.</p><p>“We got married and soon after I adopted the twins.” Zelda the faintest of smiles appeared on her lips, “Those children are the only thing I don’t regret about our marriage. Marrying Faustus was the worst decision I ever made.”</p><p>A confident grin formed on Daniel’s face, “Trust me, you aren’t the first person to say that, and you aren’t the first person I will help to undo it.”</p><p>Lilith noticed that Zelda tried to return his smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Her chin quivered slightly and Lilith knew that it was hard for her to talk about all of this. Under the table, she reached out and touched Zelda’s hand. A flutter rushed through Lilith’s body as she felt how Zelda immediately gripped her hand and took a tight hold of it. As if she had been waiting for her to do just that.</p><p>Daniel’s face turned serious again, as he lowered his voice and leaned forward in his chair, “This might be the hardest question to answer, but why did your relationship end?”</p><p>Her eyes shifted to Lilith, who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and a short nod. Zelda then swallowed and blinked at the man in front of her, “He was abusive.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but Lilith noticed how much pain was hidden behind those three little words. How she felt Zelda’s fingers twitch against the back of her hand, and how the corners of her lips turned into a nervous smile.</p><p>“What do you mean by that?” Daniel asked, his eyes concerned and his brow furrowed as he scribbled something down on his paper.</p><p>Lilith gave Zelda a comforting smile when she looked at her with scared eyes. Her entire body looked tense. “He forced me to have sex with him when I didn’t want to, he whipped me and don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a flagellation every now and then,” a sly grin formed on her lips for just a second, before her face turned nervous again, “but he did it to me whenever it stroke his fancy. Whenever he thought I hadn’t been the perfect wife he’d hit me or whip me or both.” she exhaled sharply through her nose, “We were a match and gasoline, both an equally bad temper. I should have known we would never work.”</p><p>Daniel’s brow furrowed, “Miss Spellman, are you saying Faustus raped you and physically abused you?”</p><p>Lilith looked at her, stunned. How could that bastard do such things to her? How did he not see how special and precious she was?</p><p>Zelda’s lips parted, before her teeth clenched and she gave him a single nod, “Yes, I am.”</p><p>“Well if all of this is true we can make a case out of it and try to get your husband behind bars.”</p><p>Immediately Zelda shook her head, her grip on Lilith’s hand tight, “No, I don’t want that. And even if I did, I do not have any proof. I just want to divorce him and be done with it.”</p><p>Daniel seemed unsure, but he said: “Very well. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”</p><p>“My children.” Zelda instantly said. “I cannot lose them.”</p><p>He nodded firmly, “I won’t let that happen.” With that, he rose from his chair and packed his papers. “I will send you a divorce petition which you’ll have so sign, and then I’ll reach out to you as soon as I know more.”</p><p>“Here’s my phone number.” Zelda handed him a small card, “Thank you, Mister Webster.”</p><p>“You’re welcome, Miss Spellman. I’ll let myself out.” He quickly left the room and as soon as he was gone, Zelda let a deep breath escape through her mouth.</p><p>Lilith smiled at her, “I’m proud of you.”</p><p>Turning her head, Zelda gave her a tired look, but something in her eyes had changed. There was a little bit of sorrow away, and something told Lilith that she was relieved.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>A loud thud followed by a high pitched scream caught Lilith’s attention.</p><p>She lifted her eyes from the pages in front of her to see where the infernal sound came from, and found it coming from a small boy. He was a hideous sight. Small curls that were somewhere between ginger and brown were falling over his non-existent eyebrows and his face was tear-stained and red. He was screaming bloody murder as he lay on the floor on his back, chocolate milk spilled all over his front. Hilda rushed to his side, muttering what were meant to be soothing words, which only made the boy’s cries increase.</p><p>Lilith didn’t know if she wanted to roll her eyes or laugh at him. Probably both.</p><p>“For heaven’s sake, what is going on?” she heard Zelda’s voice coming from the kitchen. Soon she stormed through the door and into the shop, a confused yet annoyed look on her face at the sight that greeted her.</p><p>“The poor darling fell and spilled his drink! Luckily it wasn’t hot.” Hilda muttered, sounding rather panicked, before turning her attention to the child again, “Don’t worry, lamb. We’ll fix you right up!” she promised, but the boy only continued to wail.</p><p>“Stop that fuss, Hilda. You’re only encouraging him to cry!” She stepped to where the boy was laying, the sound of her heels clicking against the floor covered by the child’s cries. “You go find his mother.” she told Hilda, before kneeling down. “Now you listen to me,” she told the boy, who’s hysterical cries instantly grew softer at the sound of her stern voice, “you stop that screaming to wake the dead.”</p><p>With wide eyes, he blinked up at her, sniffing softly, like he was about to start screaming again.</p><p>“How old are you exactly?” Zelda asked, her voice more gentle this time, before he had time to do so.</p><p>A whining sound escaping his lips, he held up three sticky fingers.</p><p>Zelda pretended to gasp, “You’re three years old?”</p><p>Brow furrowed slightly, the boy nodded as his lower lip trembled.</p><p>“Then you’re a big boy already, aren’t you?” her voice was as gentle as she could muster, and Lilith watched the scene with soft eyes. For unknown reasons, Zelda’s ‘mommy voice’ really warmed her heart.</p><p>The kid nodded again, a small smile appearing on his face.</p><p>“Do big boys scream like that for no reason?”</p><p>He looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head. Zelda copied the movement and confirmed: “No, big boys don’t scream hysterically when they stumble. But unlike what a lot of people would have you believe, big boys do cry from time to time. It’s okay to be upset if you’re sad or hurt, but you’re not sad or hurt, are you?”</p><p>Again he shook his head, looking down at his pale, unscratched knees, which were exposed by the pair of shorts he was wearing.</p><p>“If you go sit on a chair and be quiet, I’ll give you a new chocolate milk. Deal?” Zelda proposed, arching an eyebrow at the boy. He grinned and nodded eagerly, before his eyes went wide and he stared at something behind them.</p><p>“Mommy...” he choked out guiltily.</p><p>“Charlie!” a woman, who had hair very similar to the boy’s, exclaimed. “I told you to stay at our table until I got back from the restroom!” She then turned to Zelda, “I am so sorry for the inconvenience. I shouldn’t have left him alone, I just thought he’d be fine for a few minutes.”</p><p>“It’s no bother, honestly.” Zelda assured her, “I’ll bring him a new drink right away.”</p><p>The woman thanked her and Lilith watched as Zelda went back to her counter to prepare another chocolate milk. Zelda looked up from her work and caught her staring. She winked and Lilith averted her eyes immediately.</p><p>And just like that, Lilith’s heart had grown a bit more fond of her.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Lilith strolled into the coffee shop and was met by a growling Vinegar Tom. “Oh hush you little prick,”</p><p>The dog blinked at her innocently.</p><p>She stepped away from him and heard him groan yet again, but she paid him no mind. As she approached the counter, she noticed that neither Hilda or Zelda were in the room. Apart from her, there were only three customers and they had already been served. There never were a lot of people here this early in the morning. Just when she was about to threaten to come behind the counter and make herself a coffee if neither Hilda or Zelda showed up, she heard giggles and needy moans coming from the kitchen.</p><p>Frowning, Lilith took a step to the side and looked inside the kitchen. There she saw Zelda perched on top of the table with her legs wrapped around a beautiful, dark-skinned goddess. The other woman was pressing kisses down Zelda’s neck and one of her hands was rubbing along her thigh. Zelda’s eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed, as she slightly panted. “Marie...” she purred heavily, her hand coming to rest on the woman’s chest as a lazy effort to make her stop, “I need to go to my customers.”</p><p>For a moment the woman lifted her head and grinned, “Your customers can wait, ma chérie.” She had a thick French accent and the term of endearment rolled effortlessly off her tongue, before she pressed her lips against Zelda’s and her hand moved up Zelda’s skirt.</p><p>Lilith didn’t know why, but the scene in front of her made her heart shatter into a thousand pieces. It was as if she could physically feel her stomach drop, and her heart suddenly felt too heavy, like she couldn’t carry it around anymore. A sharp pain formed in her chest and it was as if she couldn’t breathe. Like her lungs just wouldn’t accept any air, or as if someone had just punched her in the guts. Her eyes turned teary, her vision starting to cloud and she wanted to slap herself for being so incredibly foolish for thinking she actually had a chance with Zelda. She should have known better, should have been more careful and shouldn’t have caught feelings for her that easily. It was only in that moment that she realized it though.</p><p>Lilith had feelings for her.</p><p>How had she not realized it sooner? How had she never noticed the way her heart fluttered when Zelda smiled at her, or the way she could feel a ridiculously wide grin appear on her face every time she entered the coffee shop and saw her standing behind the counter? Every time she saw Zelda, she felt at home. She felt as if she finally belonged somewhere, belonged with someone. Like she was whole. she felt safe.</p><p>How had she not realized before?</p><p>Zelda had never been hers, but seeing her with someone else made her heart clench as if she was. It was a horrible feeling. Her entire body was shaking slightly, and her lips quivered. She had never had this much difficulty with holding back her tears, and the only thoughts that came to her mind were: Why the hell did this hurt so much? Why couldn’t she just be happy for her?</p><p>After all, she had to leave again soon enough, and Zelda was allowed to have someone else, but still it hurt so damn much.</p><p>It was as if her world was collapsing. The once precious moments they had spent together were still fresh in Lilith’s mind, but now they seemed sour. Maybe she had taken her for granted. She hadn’t appreciated her enough, hadn’t cherished her like she should have. Every moment she had spent with Zelda had been a blessing and she had never realized that until now. Zelda seemed farther away from her than ever, yet Lilith still felt her close to her heart. Close to those broken pieces. It was like watching the only person who was able to make her happy slip away from her grip. No matter how tight she tried to hold on, she still left.</p><p>For a split second, Lilith almost wished she could make Zelda feel the unbearable tightness of her chest and the heaviness of her heart. But she knew that even if she had the chance to do so, she wouldn’t do it. She could never hurt Zelda. Not even if she wanted to. Not even if every piece of her own body was screaming in agony. Lilith would <em>never</em> do to Zelda what was done to her.</p><p>She could not stand to watch them for another second, so she turned on her heel and stormed out of the coffee shop, the sound of Zelda’s voice calling her name going unnoticed by her clouded mind, as she slammed the door shut behind her. Once she was back in her hotel room, her body sank to the ground.</p><p>For the first time in years, she allowed the tears, that had been bottling up in her eyes, to fall. A loud scream wanted to leave her body, but her throat felt drier than ever, and no sound was able to interrupt her constant stream of sobs.</p><p> </p><p>She just allowed herself to cry and hoped, prayed even, that tomorrow she would feel better.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*sips cranberry juice* oops </p><p> </p><p>Tumblr: immacryyowzah</p><p>stay safe x</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello my little darlings! </p><p>Get ready for some angst hehe</p><p>TRIGGER WARNING: Idk how to properly name it but you know that feeling when you're talking about something traumatic from you past and your body just does. not. like. it? That's in here and I thought it might be triggering so I decided to warn you :) </p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Eventually, she had gotten up from the floor and stumbled over to her bed. She had cried herself to sleep and woke up in the afternoon with circles around her eyes and a pounding headache. The rest of her day had been spent by watching cheap rom-coms, downing a bottle of wine all by herself and eating popcorn. When she ran out of films, Lilith had opened a window and thrown the remaining bits of popcorn at unsuspecting passengers. The confused looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. It made her pain more bearable.</p><p>But soon enough, she ran out of ammunition and, sadly, out of wine as well and boredom overtook her.</p><p>Maybe it was time for her to go. Time for her to leave to a new city or maybe even another country and start her life all over again. The thought hurt, but she had spent too much time in the same place already.</p><p>Sighing, Lilith opened her closet, took all her clothes out of it, and stuffed them into her suitcase. She had known from the beginning that she would have to leave Zelda behind, but she just never expected it to go like this.</p><p>But before she left, she had to see Zelda one last time. Lilith needed to have some sort of closure and saying goodbye to Zelda was the only way she was going to get that. She needed to look into Zelda’s eyes a final time and tell herself that leaving was the best thing to do. Lilith was fully aware that seeing Zelda would hurt her, but it needed to be done.</p><p> </p><p>When she entered the coffee shop, her eyes landed on the Zelda-stealing woman who was sitting at the table Lilith had claimed to be hers from the moment she first came here. She turned on her heel, deciding that coming back maybe wasn’t a good idea after all, but the woman’s voice stopped her. “Wait!”</p><p>Lilith frowned and looked back.</p><p>“Please, sit with me.” she requested. Lilith considered her for a moment. Actually, she just wanted to say goodbye to Zelda and take the first plane to God knows where, but a part of her was curious. Curious about why this woman wanted her company and curious about what was going on between her and Zelda.</p><p>After looking around, Lilith realized that only Hilda was standing behind the counter. Zelda was nowhere to be seen, so she gave in and went over to the table. Though, she didn’t sit down.</p><p>The woman smiled kindly, showing off a set of perfect, white teeth, and extended a hand, “Bonjour! Je suis Mambo Marie LaFleur, et vous?” Just the fact that Marie assumed straight away that she spoke French made Lilith hate her even more. She wasn’t wrong though. From the moment she could read and write she had started learning as many languages as she could. After all, she had wanted to travel across the globe one day. </p><p>Lilith ignored her waiting hand and merely gave her a questioning look, “Lilith.” Marie lowered her hand with a soft grimace, “What do you want from me?”</p><p>Now it was Marie who had a puzzled look on her face, “I simply want to talk to you. But perhaps that would be more pleasant if you were sitting down.” she suggested, gesturing her hand towards the unoccupied chair in front of her, the colorful bracelets on her wrist jingling softly as she did.</p><p>Lilith gave Marie a suspicious look and searched her face, but found nothing but honesty there, so she hesitantly slid into the chair opposite from her. “Well?” she snarled, crossing her legs below the table.</p><p>Marie eyed her for a moment, seeming to be searching for the right words, before she said: “It upset Zelda when you ran out of here yesterday.”</p><p>“Poor Zelda.” Lilith mocked, pouting her lip and furrowing her brow, before dropping the act by throwing her head back and laughing.</p><p>Marie’s jaw tightened visibly and her eyes narrowed, “Is that funny to you?” she asked, her accent thick and her teeth clenched.</p><p>Leaning forward, Lilith tilted her head, “Only a little.”</p><p>“Why?” Marie wondered, her gaze dark with an emotion that could only be named with anger fueled by protectiveness. For some reason, Lilith felt slightly intimidated by her.</p><p>Still, Lilith sneered at her, “Because she looked like she was rather comfortable on that table with her legs wrapped around you.”</p><p>The statement made a knowing smile form on Marie’s purple painted lips, “<em>Ah</em>, so that is the problem.” she gently placed a hand on top of Lilith’s, “But it is not like that.” All anger faded from her face, and it was as if a totally different person was sitting in front of her.</p><p>Lilith huffed and jerked her hand away, “No? Then what is it like? Is she paying you by the hour?” She sounded way more jealous than she had intended to and it almost made her feel a little guilty. After all, she had no right to be jealous.</p><p>Chuckling softly, Marie leaned back in her chair, “Surely you have heard of ‘friends with benefits’.” This shouldn’t have surprised Lilith, but for some reason it did. “We are both single and find each other very attractive. It’s just that simple.”</p><p>Lilith stared at her for a moment, “Why are you telling me this?”</p><p>Marie smiled and shrugged, “Because I do not want to stand between the two of you.” she explained.</p><p>“What? We are not-“</p><p>“No need to hide your feelings away from me.” she assured her, waving a hand, “I knew how you felt from the moment I saw you run away.”</p><p>“I left the stove on.” Lilith huffed, lifting her shoulders as she awkwardly shifted in her seat. <em>Was that honestly the best lie she could come up with?</em></p><p>“Zelda told me you were staying at a hotel.”</p><p>She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gaped at Marie, “What else did Zelda tell you?” Honestly, Lilith should have known Zelda was the gossiping type.</p><p>“Why don’t you go ask her yourself?” Marie nodded her head to the side, and Lilith’s eyes fell on Zelda, who was watching them while handing a customer his drink. She smiled shyly when Lilith caught her staring and it was suddenly just too much for her. Her pulse was going up with every passing second and she felt an uncomfortable heat creep onto her cheeks. She stood up from her chair when Marie gripped her wrist.</p><p>“If you run now, you’ll lose her. Trust me.” Marie warned, and Lilith swallowed as her eyes drifted back to Zelda. Trusting a strange woman probably wasn’t the best idea, but what she said, unfortunately, did make sense. If she wanted Zelda she was going to have to fight for her, and running was just cowardly. She was already running from her crazy ex, she didn’t want to run from her as well.</p><p>Slowly, Marie loosened her grip and Lilith just stood there for a moment. Zelda met her gaze and suggestively nodded her head towards the kitchen, before she entered it. Gathering all her courage, Lilith stepped away from Marie and went after her, hearing Marie mutter “Bonne chance!”</p><p>Zelda was leaning against the table, fiddling with the ring around her finger, looking at her like she had a million things to say but didn’t know where to start. Lilith could hear the sound of her beating heart pound through her head as she decided whether or not she should say something.</p><p>But before she had the chance to do anything of the sorts, Zelda started: “Just so you know, Marie and I are just friends.” She swallowed audibly and smoothened her dress, “We just have sex every now and then.” Lilith couldn’t help but notice how her lashes were fluttering rapidly, and how she sounded slightly nervous.</p><p>Lilith offered her a weak smile, “Well you don’t have to explain yourself. We are both free women, and I mean, I barely even know you.” Zelda visibly flinched as soon as the last part left Lilith’s lips. She instantly regretted saying it, but the damage was already done.</p><p>Gaping, Zelda stuttered: “<em>Barely know me</em>?” Her narrowed eyes turned dark, and she looked so hurt. “I have shared more personal information with you than with anyone else I have known for years.” Her voice broke on the last few words, and they came out like a choked sound. But Lilith understood. And it was true.</p><p>Her first instinct was to turn around and leave. To flee the scene before she only made things worse, but Marie’s words came flashing back to her mind. If she ran, she would lose her. So she just stood there and nodded, “I know. I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Why would you say it then?” Zelda asked, her green eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Lilith hated herself for upsetting her this much. Why did she never properly think before she said something?</p><p>“Because I am an idiot.” she said matter of factly, “I just said that to hide the truth.”</p><p>Zelda frowned slightly, her lips parted, “What truth?”</p><p>Sighing, Lilith closed her eyes and admitted: “That I was actually really, <em>really</em> jealous when I saw you and Marie kissing. I was mad and hurt and I felt so stupid.”</p><p>When no response followed, Lilith quickly peeked at Zelda to make sure she was actually still in the room, and then closed them once more.</p><p>Finally, the sound of Zelda’s voice reached her ears, “But why?”</p><p>Slowly, Lilith opened her eyes and found Zelda staring at her in disbelief. Preparing to be rejected, Lilith took a deep breath and muttered: “Because, I guess, I’ve grown rather fond of you.”</p><p>Lilith expected she would laugh at her, or say something stupid, but luckily that was far from the truth. Zelda smiled at her, her eyes bright and shiny and with a sweet look on her face. “I like you too, if that is what you’re trying to say.”</p><p>Nodding, Lilith returned her smile, “It is.” her voice broke a little.</p><p>For a moment the two women just watched each other, until Lilith broke the silence, “And actually, I know a lot about your personal life, but you know nothing about mine. I think it would be only right if I told you a bit more about myself.”</p><p>Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again, before she sat herself down on one of the chairs around the table. Lilith joined her and folded her hands together in front of her. She didn’t really know where to begin. She didn’t know what Zelda would want to hear about her life. A lot had happened, and she didn’t even want to think about most of it anymore simply because it didn’t matter. She had saved herself and started a new life, though constantly running from her problem hardly sounded like a life to her. But she didn’t think of it that way. She thought of it as finally taking hold of her life as much as she could. Luc would always be a part of her life, but as long as he didn’t find her, she was okay with that.</p><p>“The reason I came to Greendale is because I am running from my ex. His name is Luc, though he prefers the name ‘Lucifer’ and is mostly known by it as well.” Zelda eyed her intently, but didn’t say anything. Lilith was grateful for it. This was the first time she was talking to anybody about it, and knowing that Zelda was really listening to her made it a bit easier.</p><p>“We met 20 years ago. I didn’t have any family, and not a lot of friends either. My personality keeps people from sticking around long enough to get a real connection, but with him it was different.” It was hard to admit, but she had really liked him. At the beginning of everything, at least. “My dad died when I was young, and when I was 18, my mother passed away as well. He took me in when I had nowhere to go and he gave me everything I needed.” It had all been a bliss, until she had realized what his true intentions were. “After a while, I found out he owned a strip club, which was fine by me, until one night. He told me that if I wanted to stay with him, I had to become a dancer in his club. If I didn’t do it I would end up on the street, which seemed even worse than performing for a crowd of horny men. So I agreed.”</p><p>Lilith expected to see pity on Zelda’s face, but found none there and she was happy about it. Compassion was something she despised. Instead, Zelda looked at her with a mix of concern, shock and disgust. But still, she didn’t say a word, so Lilith continued.</p><p>“After a few weeks, Luc had some guests over and wanted me to... entertain them. Obviously I refused, I’m not a hooker. He didn’t take ‘no’ as an answer so I tried to run from him, because at that point, living on the streets sounded more tempting than shagging his so-called ‘friends’.” Zelda’s jaw tightened visibly, but didn’t interrupt her. “I didn’t get far. He took me back to his club, and he beat me until I could barely stand on my own. After that, he took my passport away from me and forced me to have sex with all his ‘special guests’.”</p><p>Many of them had been twice her age, and married. Lilith wished she could have told their wives about the disgusting things their husbands did behind their backs. No woman deserved to be married to assholes like them. They were always rough, they always bruised her and left her with painful scratches over her entire body. They tied her up, slapped her, blindfolded her, choked her,... They did anything that satisfied their dirty fantasies.  It seemed like they did things to her that their wives would never allow them to. At the end of the night, she would have to go through the same thing all over again, but with Luc instead. He’d always mark her even harder, as if to erase the bruises and scratches the other men had left behind.</p><p>Bruises given by the man she once trusted seemed to hurt even more.</p><p>“Soon I realized that I wasn’t the only girl he had done this to. Every girl that worked at his club was there against her will and was forced into prostitution. The only difference between us was that I was his ‘favorite’ girl.”</p><p>“It went on like this for twenty years. The dancing part wasn’t that bad, it was just the humiliation I felt. I was so mad at myself.” A dry chuckle emerged from her throat, “I felt so stupid for falling for his charms so easily.” She had been so mad at herself, and she still was. Never in her entire life had she expected to fall for a man’s lies, but she had. “But one time, he was going out of town for a few days. Dumb as he is, he left my passport in his office. After a lot of searching I found out he kept it in a safe, I eventually found the code and was able to open it. I took my passport and the money he never paid me and ran. Before I left I gave the other girls back what was theirs as well. Some of them left, others stayed simply because they didn’t know what else to do. I’ve been traveling around ever since, and that’s how I ended up here.”</p><p>When Lilith didn’t say anything else, Zelda reached out and placed her hands on top of Lilith’s, her brow slightly furrowed, “You’re not stupid, Lilith. You got out of there all by yourself and started your life again on your own.” she swallowed and looked down at the table, before meeting her gaze, “I think that’s really brave.”</p><p>Huffing softly, Lilith licked her lips, “I feel like a coward for running.”</p><p>“You’re not a coward for taking care of yourself.”</p><p>Lilith stared at her for a moment, her jaw dropping slightly as her lips quivered.</p><p>How come she had never thought of it that way? She had always thought she was weak for leaving him. It had always felt as if she just should have kept enduring all of it, like a strong woman would. Her mother had always taught her never to flee from her problems, but to face them. Lilith had faced her problems for some time. She had never been like the other girls, who listened to every word Luc said and did everything he told them to do without asking questions. No, Lilith was different. She knew she had no choice but to obey him, but she never did without struggling. A part of her knew that Luc had liked that about her; the fire in her soul.</p><p>After a decade of fighting a battle she had no chance to win, Lilith became exhausted. Slowly, the fire inside of her started to grow weaker. She started to become a puppet just like the other girls. Her will to struggle died and so did a small piece of her. The piece that made Lilith who she truly was. It was her fierceness, her pride, her love for life,...</p><p>Lilith now realized that going away had been a lot harder than staying. Taking her life in her own hands after two decades of not having her own free will, was much more difficult than continuing to be his property. Leaving had never made her weak.</p><p>It had made her <em>strong</em>.</p><p>Noticing how utterly stunned Lilith was, Zelda got up from her chair and rounded the table. Lilith felt two slender arms wrap around her and felt Zelda’s chin prop up on top of her head. Lilith placed a hand on one of Zelda’s arms and squeezed a little.</p><p>It was only then that Lilith realized how talking about all of it was physically affecting her body. She was shaking slightly, her chest seemed too tight around her beating heart and an uncomfortable heat was spreading across her face. Her hands were trembling and one of her legs was bouncing uncontrollably. She took a deep breath and only then noticed how hard it was to breathe.</p><p>“Zelda...” she managed to choke out, and Zelda looked down at her without removing her arms. Lilith was happy she didn’t, because she was clinging to them as if they were a lifeline. Zelda’s arms made her feel safe. As if not a thing in the world would be able to harm her if Zelda was holding her. She felt untouchable. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt cared for.</p><p>“Everything is okay, I’m here with you.” Zelda told her repeatedly, as she looked into her eyes. “Breathe slowly.” Her voice was soft and gentle, yet firm enough to get through Lilith’s clouded mind.</p><p>She took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring slightly, before she breathed out. Zelda joined her while maintaining eye contact, both of them taking slow, steady breaths at the same time.</p><p>After a few moments, Lilith noticed how her heart seemed to be calming. She wasn’t trembling anymore and neither were her hands. Zelda smiled at her, before pressing a soft kiss above her eyebrow, right where the cut had been after she fell outside the shop. She then rested their foreheads against one another, and it was as if Lilith could feel all tension seep from her body. Instantly, she felt more relaxed than she had in weeks, if not months or even years. She felt safe, secure and cared for. Those were things that no one had ever been able to offer her. Yet with Zelda, it came naturally.</p><p>Lilith opened her eyes, wondering when she had even closed them, and stared up at Zelda. She could hardly wrap her head around how utterly perfect she looked. With her thin nose, bright green eyes, soft freckles on pale skin and her wide smile that showed off the little gap between two of her teeth, Zelda was no doubt the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on.</p><p>Slowly, Lilith moved her face even closer to Zelda’s, their lips almost brushing, when Hilda came bursting through the door.</p><p>“Zelds, have you seen- Oh dear! Sorry! Don’t mind me! I was just- uh...” Before either Zelda or Lilith had time to scold at the little cockblock, she left the kitchen with a hand covering her eyes while uttering apologies. By the sounds of it, she nearly tripped over Vinegar Tom on her way out. Maybe that infernal dog was on Lilith’s side for once anyway.</p><p>When the sound of Hilda’s retreating footsteps faded, Lilith cleared her throat, “I should go.”</p><p>A somewhat disappointed look appeared on Zelda’s face, but she nodded her head anyway and straightened her spine. She took a step back and if Lilith didn’t have as much self-control as she did, she would have whined at the loss of contact.</p><p>Lilith stood up from her chair, her legs felt a bit weak, but she ignored it. They just stood there for a moment, awkwardly glancing at each other.</p><p>“When are you leaving Greendale?” Zelda finally asked, mindlessly fiddling with a ring around her finger.</p><p>
  <em>Leaving...</em>
</p><p>Yes, she had been planning on doing that. In fact, she had planned on leaving right after saying goodbye to Zelda. But plans change.</p><p>“Once your divorce and all of that is done, I think.” she decided “After all, I did promise you.”</p><p>Zelda’s face fell, a look of sadness appearing in her eyes, but she nodded.</p><p>An uncomfortable silence formed between them, but they kept on looking at each other, like two nervous teenagers on a first date. Lilith pushed her luck and started: “Can I- Would you mind if-“ Zelda didn’t give her the chance to finish. She just nodded, took a step closer and pressed her lips against Lilith’s.</p><p>Their lips moved against each other in a surprisingly chaste kiss. Zelda brushed her lips against Lilith’s, over and over again in a soft caress and it made Lilith’s knees weak as anything. Gripping Zelda a little tighter in order to keep herself upright, she felt the happiest she had ever been. Over the course of her life, Lilith had shared many kisses with many different people. Yet none of those could possibly compare to this. A strange sensation formed in the pits of her chest and she swore she could feel her heart flutter. Her entire body felt warm and fuzzy, and her belly felt like it was filled to the brim with butterflies. It was as if a part of her was healing. A part that had been broken so long ago. In a way, it felt like she was finally whole. As if she had found what she had been looking for without realizing she had been searching for it. She felt complete.</p><p>Slowly, their lips started moving more urgent. For a solid second, Lilith pulled back to take Zelda’s lip between her teeth and tug it, earning a soft moan from Zelda, before she kissed her again. Zelda’s tongue swept over Lilith’s lower lip, before she grazed her teeth over it. Lilith felt her knees shake and her back arched. The content sigh that came from her seemed to be the only permission Zelda needed to finally flick her tongue into Lilith’s mouth. Zelda tasted bitter and sweet at the same time. She tasted of coffee and cigarettes and something that must have been her natural taste. Lilith liked it. She settled both of her hands on Zelda’s hips, and gradually, she slid them down until they reached Zelda’s perfect bottom. She squeezed and was rewarded by a low moan coming from the depths of Zelda’s throat. A shiver rolled up her spine as Zelda placed one of her hands on Lilith’s chest.</p><p>They parted, both in need of air, and stared into each other’s eyes. Lilith licked her tingling lips, trying to draw in a proper breath. She felt dizzy. Zelda’s eyes were dark with lust, her lipstick was smudged and she was panting slightly. The sight of her made Lilith feel insanely smug.</p><p>She wanted more than a few kisses. She wanted her. Every part of her. The good, the bad, simply everything. She didn’t want this to be a one-time thing, she wanted this for all eternity.</p><p>Her thoughts were broken when Zelda pressed her lips against Lilith’s once again. This time it was heated from the start, their lips pushing and their teeth yanking. Not that Lilith minded, of course. Lilith let her hands roam over Zelda’s curves and she was sure she could feel Zelda move even closer to her. Yet it still felt like she wasn’t close enough.</p><p>After a few seconds, Zelda broke the kiss. Smiling, she took Lilith’s hand in her own and pulled her towards the staircase, but Lilith stopped her: “What about your customers?” she asked, feeling breathless.</p><p>Zelda simply shrugged, a sly smirk on her face, “They can wait.” She then turned and moved up the stairs, her round hips swaying gracefully as she went.</p><p>Lilith swallowed and chased after her.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Lilith got up from the bed and gathered her clothes, which were lying scattered across the floor. As she slipped into her knickers and put her bra back on, she noticed that Zelda was still in bed, making no attempt at getting up while watching her every move.</p><p>“Like what you see?” Lilith asked playfully, though Zelda had just thoroughly proved that she liked her body very, very much. The thought of it sent a thrill down her spine.</p><p>Zelda lifted an eyebrow and looked her up and down. She bit her lip softly and Lilith wished she could just fall into her arms again. “Definitely.” she nearly groaned as her eyes roamed over Lilith’s curves. She then extended a hand, and batted her lashes innocently, “Come here.”</p><p>Now how could Lilith refuse her?</p><p>Like a good girl, she crawled back into bed, and as soon as she did, her lips were covered with Zelda’s once again. Zelda bit her lower lip, making Lilith whimper. Lilith settled her hands in Zelda’s hair, and pulled it slightly, as she deepened the kiss. Their tongues met in a heated battle for dominance and Zelda’s hands rested on Lilith’s ass, squeezing softly. One hand trailed up Lilith’s back, before Zelda’s nails dug into her skin. She had marked Lilith’s back completely already, and had left a fair share of bite marks on her shoulders as well. But Lilith didn’t mind. She wanted Zelda to claim her.</p><p>Lilith broke the kiss, only to press her lips against Zelda’s neck. She slowly moved upwards to gently kiss her ear, which she had discovered was one of Zelda’s soft spots. A whimper filled the air and Lilith smirked, before sucking her way down her neck again.</p><p>“You know,” she breathed heavily as her hand continued to leave marks across Lilith’s spine, “I wanted you from the moment I found out you hate those stupid puns too.”</p><p>Lilith chuckled, but the sound was swallowed by Zelda’s desperate lips capturing hers once again. Zelda’s fingers started fumbling with her bra, when there was a knock on the door, making them both jump in surprise.</p><p>“What is it?” Zelda growled after she broke their kiss while rolling her eyes in annoyance.</p><p>“Your lawyer is on the phone downstairs.” Hilda announced, her voice ever so slightly trembling.</p><p>After sighing loudly, Zelda nodded her head, “I’ll be right there.”</p><p>Zelda gave Lilith an apologetic look, before pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth, “I’ll make it up to you later.” she promised, before moving off the bed and putting on a blue dressing gown. She then went downstairs, leaving Lilith on her own in the bedroom. After a moment of thinking about how incredibly happy she felt, she got up from the bed as well and started putting her clothes back on.</p><p>Then, she went downstairs and into the coffee shop, where she found Zelda talking on the phone behind the counter.<br/>It surprised Lilith that Hilda had let Zelda go into the shop dressed like that. The shameless woman stood there, barefooted and wearing nothing else but the silk dressing gown. Her hair was a total mess and her makeup was completely ruined, her lipstick nearly entirely gone. Her neck was covered in bite marks and hickeys. Lilith felt incredibly proud for being the one to put Zelda in her current state.</p><p>Hilda didn’t seem to like her sister’s look as much as Lilith though. She was standing beside Zelda, trying to hear what the man on the other side of the line was saying, but also staring at the floor while fumbling with the hem of her dress, just so she didn’t have to look at her. Looking around the shop, Lilith noticed that Marie was nowhere to be seen. But then again, it had been hours since they had spoken to each other. She had probably left ages ago.</p><p>Lilith leaned against the counter, watching Zelda. Her brow was furrowed in what seemed to be concern, and her lips were a thin line as she restlessly tapped her index finger against the phone in her hand. Her skin was even more pale than usual and her entire body seemed to be tense. It worried Lilith.</p><p>“Thank you, Mister Webster. Have a good day.” Zelda said after some time, before ending the call. She stared out in front of her and simply said: “Apparently Faustus already filed for divorce before I did. His lawyer just hadn’t informed me yet.”</p><p>Lilith lifted her brows and grinned at her, “But that’s good right? That is gonna make everything so much easier!”</p><p>Finally, Zelda looked at her and gave her a weak smile, “Yes, it will.”</p><p>A puzzled look formed on both Hilda and Lilith’s faces, “So what’s the matter?” Hilda asked, a lock of hair falling in front of her eye.</p><p>Zelda exhaled through her nose. “He filed for divorce because he wants to marry another woman.” Without saying anything else, Zelda turned and went back into the kitchen. Lilith quickly followed after her and touched her bicep to stop her in her tracks.</p><p>She wasn’t sure if she should ask her this, but it was something she needed to know: “Why does that upset you so much?”</p><p>Zelda gave her a reassuring smile and took her hands in her own, “I am over him, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m not sure if I even ever truly had feelings for him.” A soft sigh escaped her lips, “I’m just worried about the woman he wants to marry.”</p><p>“Do you think he will treat her the way he treated you?”</p><p>Zelda nodded her head, “Though I can’t be sure, of course. Maybe he does truly love this one.”</p><p>Lilith laid her arms around Zelda’s shoulders, “Well he is incredibly stupid for not treating you good. No woman could be more perfect, in every aspect, than you.”</p><p>She giggled softly, a toothy smile on display, and Lilith felt her heart melt a little as the sound of it. The smile faltered and her face turned serious, “No, the most perfect woman is standing right in front of me.”</p><p>Lilith grinned at her and it was then that she realized that there was no way in hell she was going to leave the woman in front of her behind. “You know what?” Lilith blurted out, “I’m not gonna leave Greendale. Screw Luc.” He had kept her from her happiness long enough.</p><p>Staring at her, Zelda’s lips parted.</p><p>“Zelda-” Lilith started when Zelda didn’t say anything.</p><p>Instead of letting her finish, Zelda shut Lilith up by pressing her lips against her own.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>A few days later, Lilith decided that Zelda and her should go on a proper date since they had never done anything of the kind. All moments they had spent together had taken place at the coffee shop, and Lilith desperately wanted a change of location for once. She loved the coffee shop, of course, but she wanted to see Zelda outside of her usual surroundings.</p><p>Zelda had agreed happily, and so they had gone to the cinema. They didn’t see much of the film they chose, and Lilith hardly remembered any of the plot. In between snogging each other senseless and throwing bits of popcorn into each other's mouth while keeping scores, they had seen a few scenes, but quickly decided that the movie was not nearly as interesting as each other.</p><p>Since Hilda was having a date with her wannabe-vampire boyfriend at the coffee shop, the two women had decided to go to Lilith’s hotel room for the night instead. Though, that was a decision they came to regret rather quickly.</p><p>Stumbling through the door of her room, Lilith’s hand sneaked below Zelda’s blouse. They were tugging at each other’s clothes, lips clinging to one another and bodies yearning to be closer, when he cleared his throat, “My, my, what a warm welcome I get!”</p><p>Instantly, Lilith’s heart dropped.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Luc...</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I mean, that was bound to happen from the start.</p><p>Hope you enjoyed this and if you did I would love to get some feedback hihi</p><p>Next Wednesday the final chapter will be up :)</p><p>Stay safe, stay healthy and happy pride month to everyone!!!</p><p>Tumblr: immacryyowzah</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tw: strangling, very brief mention of drugs</p><p>The final chapter had arrived, darlings!! I hope you all enjoy this as much as you seemed to enjoy the other chapters, eventhough this one is a bit shorter. </p><p>(I have een meaning to say this since chapter one but I forgot every single time but okay) Big thanks to anyone who responded to my Tumblr post when I wasn't sure if I should post this story in chapters or in one go. Back then I really had no idea what would be best, but now I know that I made the right decision so thanks to anyone who helped me :) </p><p>Enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>From the second she heard his devilish voice, Lilith froze. Her back was still turned to him, but her skin grew paler than that of a corpse, as her eyes went wide. Her lower lip trembled slightly, and she didn’t even dare to draw in a proper breath. Zelda pulled her a little closer, lifting her head to meet his gaze from across the room. The look on Lilith’s face most certainly told her who their unexpected guest was. Lilith noticed how fearless she glared at him and wished she herself was able to look at him like that. No matter how she hated to admit it, she was terrified of him. After all this time of living on her own, preparing herself for this moment, she had really believed she was ready to face him. But the mere sound of his voice was enough to make her heart skip a beat. The knowledge that he was in the same room as her, made her knees shake. She wanted to slap herself for still being so affected by him.</p><p>“And you are?” Zelda asked, her voice entirely unbothered by his presence as she arched an eyebrow at him. Lilith burried her face in Zelda’s neck for a moment or two. Breathing in Zelda’s natural scent mixed with the sweet smell of diet soda, which Lilith had spilled on her at the cinema during a heated makeout session. It made her calm. At least as calm as she could get.</p><p>“Luc, but friends call me Lucifer.” She could hear the flirtatious undertone in his voice, and if she didn’t know better, she’d think he was winking at Zelda. That was all Lilith needed to finally find the strenght to lift her head from the safety and warmth of Zelda’s neck.</p><p>Turning around, she saw him sitting in the black leather arm chair in the corner of the room, looking like he was rather comfortable. His legs were crossed, his hands folded together in his lap, and a, what would look to any other person like a kind smile, formed on his lips when he laid eyes on her. Lilith knew better than to fall for his composed facade. She knew that he was mad. He was enraged. If it hadn’t been for Zelda’s presence, his hands would have been around her neck already.</p><p>“I’m not your friend.” Zelda said, protectively wrapping an arm around Lilith’s waist. “And you are not welcome here.”</p><p>Luc threw his head back and laughed, his small dark curls bouncing lightly, “Got yourself a pit bull, Lilith? I didn’t know you liked dogs.” His eyes roamed over Zelda’s body, and Lilith could clearly see the hint of lust flashing in his eyes, “You do have good taste though.”</p><p>Now Lilith had enough. She knew that his compliment towards Zelda was simply a threat in disguise. He never said kind things without a good reason. Destruction had always followed him around like a shadow, and she would not let him harm Zelda. If he dared to lay a single finger on her, there would be a price to pay.</p><p>Without thinking, Lilith left her side and went to stand in front of him, making sure to block Zelda from his view. She was so close, she could smell him. He smelled of rape and cheap deodorant, just like he had before she’d left him. Like money, made by selling women’s bodies to dirty old men, and by killing their souls, their personalities. Some time after coming to his club, those girls became nothing more than an empty shell.</p><p>Lilith had seen it happening right in front of her, without being able to do anything about it. The light had faded from their eyes, along with every piece of hope they’d ever had. Their hearts were beating and they were still breathing, but they weren’t alive. They were bodies without minds, simply Luc’s tools, without freedom or the power to make their own descisions. All they were allowed to do was listen and obey to his every command, like poppets. Most of them drugged themselves every time they had a new customer, and Lilith could hardly blame them for it. But every pill they swallowed made a piece of them die. Every time they went upstairs to entertain Luc’s guests, they came back looking a little more empty, and the sparkles in their eyes slowly turned into vague shadows. Lilith had seen those girls turn into dust, and she had come close to becoming one of them.</p><p>Hovering over him with narrowed eyes and a tight jaw, she hissed: “I’m not scared of you, if that’s what you’re thinking.” It was a lie, but her voice came out way more convincing than she had expected it to.</p><p>The wicked grin that appeared on his face was enough to make her stomach turn upside down. “Then why are you shaking?” he asked, and it was only then that she noticed how her entire body was trembling uncontrollably. Rising from the chair, he looked down at her. He was even taller than she remembered him to be.</p><p>Before she had time to find an excuse, Zelda stood next to her.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Zelda glowered at him, her hands turning into fists by her sides.</p><p>“Why, retrieving what is mine of course.” he said matter of factly.</p><p>Zelda simply shrugged, “None of this is yours.” she said, gesturing her hands around the room, “You have nothing here, so you might as well leave.”</p><p>“Tempting,” he mused, “but no. I don’t think I will. Unless you give me back my money.”</p><p>“I earned it.” Lilith suddenly said, her voice soft but firm. “It’s mine.”</p><p>“You earned nothing.” Luc waved her off with a small chuckle, “I gave you a place to live, safety, food and clothes in exchange for what you did.”</p><p>Lilith shook her head, her lips a thin line, “Those things aren’t enough in exchange for the hell you put me through. The hell you put all those other girls through!”</p><p>“Well you can always come back to the club, of course. Then you may keep your money.” he smiled at her as if he was showing her kindness, though Lilith knew that was something he never did.</p><p>“I’d rather die.” Lilith spat out, her nostrils flaring. She finally knew what freedom felt like, and she wouldn’t exchange it for a thing in the world.</p><p>He raised his brow at her and tilted his head slightly, “Then you will give me back my money.”</p><p>“Why should she?” Zelda asked, receiving an annoyed glare from Luc in the process.</p><p>“Because Lilith knows what might happen if she doesn’t.” he warned, looking at the brunette who had to stop herself from flinching at his words.</p><p>“Nothing will happen.” Zelda said simply, her voice mocking. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and took a confident step closer to him, “Actually, prostitution is illegal, and so is pimping. Unless you’d like to live the best years of your life behind bars, I suggest you leave.”</p><p>The man turned his head towards Lilith, his jaw clenched, “You wouldn’t dare to send the cops my way.”</p><p>Zelda smiled wickedly, “But I would.” She leaned up, until her face was only a few inches away from his ear, “And believe me, I am way more dangerous than any pit bull.” With that she took a step back, her eyebrows raised and a satisfied sparkle in her eyes. Lilith had never found her more attractive. Though, it was hard to enjoy the view in this particular situation.</p><p>Luc watched her, seeming somewhat intrigued by the woman in front of him, but also very annoyed. That lustful look was still in his eyes and Lilith hated him for it. She knew he liked women who fought back and weren’t scared of him, especially when they were pretty. “You know, I think you and I are similar.” he said all of a sudden, “I can tell you’re clever, courageous, a bit bold,” his eyes travelled over Zelda’s curves, before settling on her face, “and rather gorgeous.”</p><p>Zelda smiled sweetly, and for a brief second Lilith was convinced she was flattered by his statement. But then she said: “Maybe I am all of those things, but <em>you</em> aren’t.” she lowered her voice, “All I see is a coward. A manipulator. Someone who’s incredibly full of himself.” she lifted her shoulders, “Simply... a downright bitch.” Again, she smiled at him, “And if you think you can lie your way out of this, you’re wrong.” Luc opened his mouth, but Lilith cut him off.</p><p>Her face hardened, and she threw him a deadly look, “If you don’t leave right now, I <em>am</em> calling the police.”</p><p>It was the first time she really stood up against him and it scared her, but it also felt amazing. She wished she would have had the strenght to do so years ago. Maybe Zelda made her courageous.</p><p>Luc stared at her, his chest heaving slightly, and normally this would have been the moment he’d hit her, but he wouldn’t do that now. She could see it in his eyes. He was stunned by both her and Zelda’s reactions to his empty threats. After all, there was nothing he could do to her. He knew this, of course.</p><p>“Was I not good to you?” he asked, trying to sound hurt, though Lilith doubted he was able to feel that certain emotion.</p><p>“You know the answer to that. Now get out.” Lilith’s voice was steady, and she was grateful for it.</p><p>A vein in his neck was slightly trobbing as he stared down at her. For a moment, she was afraid he might not leave. He always had been a stubborn man, and he hated being told what to do. But to her surprise, he huffed at her with a crinkled nose, his chin jutted, and stormed towards the door. He stood there for a moment, hand on the doorknob, with his shoulders back, chest out and a sour expression on his face. Lilith knew that some harsh words were about to follow. He had always been a soor loser, and if he couldn’t physically hurt her, he’d do it mentally.</p><p>“You are pathetic, Lilith.” he finally scoffed, “You are nothing. You’re useless, worthless,” he squinted his eyes at her, “and your parents would be ashamed of what you are. You’re nothing more than a filthy whore, a dyke, and you cannot live without someone taking care of you. I hope you’re proud of yourself for achieving nothing in your life.” He chuckled, before he opened the door and left, closing it with a loud smack.</p><p>Immediately, Zelda laid a hand on her shoulder, “Are you alright?”</p><p>Lilith fell into her arms, burying her head against her neck once again. She could hear the sound of her blood gushing through her veins and Zelda’s pulse below her ear. Zelda held her, pulling her as close as possible, and quietly muttered words of comfort. Tears formed in her eyes, blurring her vision like clouds in front of the sun. Lilith blinked and thick, warm tears fell down from her eyes, leaving a trail down her cheeks. She didn’t care that she was crying in front of Zelda. Normally, she would be embarrassed for showing her vulnerable side, but with Zelda she didn’t.</p><p>A loud sob emerged from her throat as she asked uncertainly: “Is he really gone?”</p><p>“Yes, he is.” Zelda assured her, gently tracing circles on her back.</p><p>Lilith breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Zelda a little tighter, “He’s gone.” she whispered to herself, a small smile forming on her lips, even with tears still running down her face. She pulled back slightly, so she could look up at her lover. “Thank you, Zelda.”</p><p>Zelda opened her mouth, “For wh-“</p><p>“For everything.” Lilith quickly added. “Simply everything.” She hesitantly leaned forward, and Zelda met her in the middle. Their lips collided and Lilith felt all tension fade away from her body as if it had never been there in the first place.</p><p>Zelda erased every bad thought, every fear, every doubt she had, without any effort.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>She felt his hands around her throat, pushing her into the nearest wall.</p><p>“Zelda!” she managed to choke out, looking down at her lifeless body as tears stained her face. No response followed, and Lilith knew that she was gone. She wanted to scream, but no sound was able to escape from her anymore. It was then that she knew, in a few minutes, she would be gone too.</p><p>His fingertips digged into her skin and it became impossible to breathe. Trying to slap him away was no use. Her hands barely hit him as she felt her life seep out of her body like blood dripping from a cut. Her head started spinning, her vision clouding and every one of her muscles relaxed. It was as if her body knew and accepted that fighting him was pointless.</p><p>It wasn’t the first time he laid his hands on her, but never before had it felt like this. Never before had she seen this murderous look in his eyes. This time, he was going to end her. She could tell from the way he stared at her, from the way his teeth clenched and how the muscles in his jaws were throbbing. Lilith wondered where Luc was. The real luc. The Luc that had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go. Who had been gentle, patient and kind with her. Who had promised to protect her at all costs...</p><p>She suddenly wondered if that Luc had ever even been real.</p><p> </p><p>Lilith’s eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly, panting heavily. Her heart was racing in her chest and she immediately brough a hand to her neck to make sure Luc’s hadn’t actually been there. The only thing she felt there was her rapid pulse and the heat of her skin. She breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>It was the first night after Luc found her that she was staying at her hotel room on her own. All the other nights, she had been at the coffee shop, wrapped in Zelda’s arms. She didn’t feel safe here. A part of her knew that he wouldn’t come back after everything Zelda told him, but the other part was fully aware that he knew how weak she was on her own. How vulnerable she was.</p><p>Without thinking, she reached for the phone on her bedside table and dialed Zelda’s phone number. A few moments passed before Zelda’s voice echoed through the phone, “Spellman’s Coffee, this is Zelda and there better be a good reason for calling me at three in the moring.” The sound of her husky, sleepy voice instantly soothed Lilith and she couldn’t help but feel relieved at the sound of it. <em>She was okay.</em></p><p>“It’s me.” Lilith said, “I’m sorry I woke you, dear.”</p><p>“Lilith?” Gone was the sleepy undertone, now replaced by concern, “What’s the matter? Are you alright?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m okay.” Lilith assured her. “I just had a nightmare.”</p><p>“Do you want to come over?” Zelda asked immediately, her voice soft and gentle.</p><p>Lilith nodded, even though Zelda could not see her, “I would like that very much.”</p><p> </p><p>Fifteen minutes later, Lilith found herself snuggled up against Zelda, their arms wrapped around each other and the sound of Zelda’s steady heartbeat right below her ear.</p><p>She felt safe.</p><p>“I’m sorry I woke you.” Lilith whispered in the darkness of the room, her head resting on Zelda’s chest.</p><p>“Don’t apologize for that, Lilith.” Zelda said honestly, pressing a kiss on top of her head. “You’re welcome to wake me at any hour for any reason.”</p><p>Sighing, Lilith’s grip on Zelda’s body tightened a little, “I feel like a child. It was just a nightmare, I’m overreacting.”</p><p>Zelda lightly hit her shoulder.</p><p>“Hey!” Lilith yelped in surprise, lifting her head to find Zelda eyeing her with a somewhat disappointed expression on her face.</p><p>“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Her voice turned soft as she added: “Please.”</p><p>Lilith averted her eyes, rolling onto her back, out of Zelda’s hold. “That’s not easy.” she admitted, staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>She felt Zelda’s hand softly carress her cheek, “I know.” she said, before propping herself up on her elbow to look at Lilith. “But you’re worth more than you think.” she swallowed, “More than he lead you to believe.”</p><p>Lilith turned her head to look at her, and even in the nearly completely dark room, she could see the brightness of Zelda’s eyes. They were like two shooting stars in the sky, clear and shining. Or like trees in the forest. She could easily get lost in them.</p><p>“How do you do that?” she wondered, watching Zelda’s brow furrow in confusion.</p><p>“Do what?”</p><p>Lilith tilted her head. “Say exactly what I need to hear?”</p><p>Shrugging, Zelda explained: “Because I need to hear it too. It’s what I tell myself every day.”</p><p>Smiling sadly, Lilith took Zelda’s hand in her own. “You are the most special person I have ever met and you make me feel so <em>happy</em>... You make me feel like a person, like a real human being. I feel so honored to have you in my life. Ever since I ran away, I felt lost. Like I belonged nowhere. But when I met you I felt complete, like I finally found <em>my person</em>, you know? ”</p><p>For a moment, she thought her ears were deceiving her, but then she heard it again: a quiet sniff. “Zelda, are you crying?”</p><p>A loud snort filled the air, and Lilith then noticed how Zelda was blinking back tears. “You are!”</p><p>“No need to point it out like that!” Zelda snapped, swiping her thumb below her eyes.</p><p>Lilith smiled and gently pulled Zelda on top of her, while Zelda continued to rub her eyes. Stilling her hand, Lilith started kissing each tear away, and she felt Zelda’s muscles relax below her touch. Finally, Lilith kissed a tear away from the corner of her mouth, but before she even had the chance to pull away, Zelda crashed her lips against Lilith’s. After a few moments of kissing each other desperately, their movements slowed. Their kisses turned into soft caresses, their noses brushing and the sound of their lips parting and returning to each other filling the air. Zelda’s hand moved up beneath the fabric of Lilith’s night gown and she stroke her thigh gently.</p><p>“You’re one of the only people I can stand to be around for longer than five minutes.” Zelda whispered against Lilith’s lips, before planting them below her jaw.</p><p>Lilith would have chuckled at the statement, if only Zelda’s lips weren’t sucking and biting her skin at the very same time. She moaned, and she could feel Zelda’s smirk. Lifting an eyebrow, Lilith rolled them over, stradling Zelda’s hips. “You still owe me a date, by the way.”</p><p>Zelda smiled, tenderly running her hands down Lilith’s thighs, “I’ll go on as many dates with you as you like.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Lilith stirred her spoon around in her empty cup, the sound of metal against ceramic echoing through the shop. Hilda gave her an annoyed look from behind the counter. Huffing, Lilith started stirring the spoon even more violently. She heard Hilda groan, and at any other moment she would have found the sound of it quite amusing, but not now. Her head was too caught up in stressing about Zelda to somewhat enjoy tormenting Hilda.</p><p>Her leg was bouncing up and down at a steady pace as she bit her lower lip softly. She dropped the spoon and went for scratching some nailpolish off her nails. Soon, small, red bits of dried nailpolish were scattered over the surface of the table, leaving her nails an utter mess. Her chair creaked slightly when she shifted around restlessly. She looked out of the window, hoping to find Zelda approaching the shop, but finding only an old lady and a small boy on the steet. Sighing, she got up and went towards the counter. Lilith snatched a packet of what was ought to be either sugar or salt from a big jar and retreated to her seat. After ripping the packet open and pooring it into her cup, she mixed it with the remaining drops of coffee at the bottom.</p><p>She was about to taste the mixture to finally find out if she had taken a packet of salt or sugar, when a towel was thrown at her face.</p><p>Frowning, she looked up and found Hilda glaring at her, “If you’re bored, you might as well come and help me with the dishes.” She was about to protest, but Hilda was already off to the kitchen, and Lilith could do nothing else but follow her. “These cups need to be dried.” Hilda said, waving a hand at a large dish drainer which was filled to the brim with cups.</p><p>“Of course.” Lilith grimaced, before taking a cup and a towel. She wanted to complain about having to work without getting paid, but simply didn’t have the energy to start a conversation. Soon, her mind returned to Zelda and wondered if everything went well. She had faith in Daniel, but she didn’t trust Zelda’s ex Faustus Blackwood for as far as she could throw him.</p><p>For a few moments, both women worked in silence, before Hilda cleared her throat and broke Lilith’s thoughts.</p><p>“So...” she started, like she was about to spill a well-kept secret. “You and Zelds, eh?”</p><p>“What about us?” Lilith asked, swiping her towel over the ceramic cup in her hand.</p><p>Hilda didn’t say anything for a while, seeming to be looking for the right words. “She really likes you.”</p><p>That quite surprised her. Not that Zelda liked her, because she did know that, but that Hilda said it. That Hilda knew it and that she decided to tell her to make sure she knew too.</p><p>Lilith nodded, “I know. And I like <em>her</em>.” she smiled, before adding: “A lot. ” From the moment they had first talked, Zelda had claimed a spot in Lilith’s heart, and over time, that spot had grown and grown. By now, Zelda had conquered her it completely.</p><p>“Good.” Hilda said after eyeing her intently. “I just want my sister to be happy. She has been treated very badly and she deserves to have someone that truly cares about her.”</p><p>“I agree with you,” swallowing, Lilith continued: “and I will do everything in my power to be that person.”</p><p>When Lilith had first laid eyes on Zelda, her beauty was all she had seen, all that she had cared for, really. But now, she craved something more than just a physical connection. She yearned to learn more about her, to see behind her perfect mask.</p><p>She wanted Zelda to be happy, to feel loved and cared for, to protect her and cherish her like a rare diamond for the rest of her life. She wanted to make her smile and make her laugh until her eyes teared up, to make her feel like the most special person in the world, she wanted to erase every doubt about herself she ever had. She wanted to be there on her best days, but also on her worst days. On the days when everything seemed wrong and nothing made sense, Lilith wanted <em>them</em> to still make sense. She wanted to be the shoulder she cried on, the one who helped her through her darkest moments. She wanted Zelda to know that she would always be there for her, that she would never leave her and-</p><p>
  <em>Oh...</em>
</p><p>Oh.</p><p>She was in <em>deep</em>.</p><p>“Good, because if you ever hurt her I will hunt you down and make you pay. It doesn’t matter where you try to run to, believe me, I will find you.” Lilith wanted to laugh at her, but when she turned her head, she found Hilda’s expression was far from joking.</p><p>Again she nodded, “I would assume nothing less.”</p><p>Smiling, the threatening look disappeared from her face in a mere second, and she continued to dry a cup.</p><p>All of a sudden, they heard the front door slam shut. They threw each other a nervous look, and toddled back to the shop. A few customers had lifted their heads at the sound of the door, but when they found it was just one of their baristas returning home, they quickly lost interest. Lilith, however, kept her gaze fixed on her lover, who had gone to the court of Greendale hours ago, with hopeful eyes. Zelda met her stare and smiled, walking to the counter with a light bounce in her steps.</p><p>“I am no longer Zelda Blackwood.” she announced happily as soon as she stood in front of Lilith.</p><p>Lilith practically shrieked, before wrapping her arms around Zelda’s neck and hugging her as tight as she could. “That’s amazing, darling!“</p><p>Whitin a few seconds, Hilda wrapped her arms around both her sister and Lilith as well. “I am so happy for you, Zelds!” Hilda shrieked. Normally, Lilith would protest at a group hug, but she was too relieved to do anything but tighten her grip on both of them. After a moment, the three women let go of one another. Zelda and Lilith’s eyes locked, and Lilith reached out to hold her hands.</p><p>Clearing her throat, Hilda suggested: “You might want to take...” she waved a hand at the pair, “whatever this is, to the kitchen. Bit more private, eh?”</p><p>Nodding slowly, Zelda blinked at Lilith and pulled her through the door, closing it behind her. Lilith wrapped her arms around Zelda’s waist, while Zelda placed hers around Lilith’s neck.</p><p>“You’re free.” Lilith whispered in disbelief.</p><p>Zelda softly stroke her hand over Lilith’s cheek and smiled, “We both are.” The small gesture was enough to make Lilith’s heart melt.</p><p>Lilith’s eyes were getting teary, but she didn’t care. She leaned forward, until their forehead were resting against one another and smiled, “You freed me, Zelda Spellman.” she breathed, a tear tumbling down from the corner of her eye.</p><p>Mere weeks ago, they had been two souls trapped by their pasts, but they had freed each other.</p><p>They had <em>saved</em> each other.</p><p>A grin formed on Zelda’s face, before she asked: “Where have you <em>bean</em> all my life?”</p><p>Groaning at the pun, Lilith shut her up by kissing that beautiful grin off her face, and Zelda happily let her.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>The end x</strong> </em>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that's a wrap folks!</p><p>Thanks to everyone that left comments/kudos, y'all made me so happy you have no idea. Comments give me the energy I so desperately need to get through life so thank you *peace sign*</p><p>I currently don't have any ideas for another multi-chapter fic, so if anyone has ideas for that or a one shot (Zarie or Madam Spellman) feel free to let me know in the comments, my tumblr: immacryyowzah or my instagram fanaccount: miranda.all.the.way</p><p>Also: if you like my Zarie one shots, I am posting a new, pretty long (and slightly smutty) one on Friday! </p><p>Anyway, stay safe, healthy and happy and have a wondefully blessed day :D</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know, I know, it's all a bit unrealistic but I tried to turn everything that happened between Lucifer and Lilith into something that could kind of actually happen. </p><p>Anyway, the next chapter is going to be a lot darker than this one so be prepared.<br/>If anyone even slightly liked this, I am one very happy girl :)</p><p>Stay safe darlings, I know these times are hard so if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me on my Tumblr at any time.  Hopefully I'll see y'all in the next chapter.</p><p>Tumblr: immacryyowzah</p></blockquote></div></div>
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